Everything We Had
by DarkAngelSnapeLover
Summary: Fern's sophomore year at Rosewood Academy isn't going as planned. She feels her entire world is crumbling, and in a moment of weakness, she commits suicide. When she returns as a ghost, will she be able to work through the problems that caused her to end her life or will she be stuck in a state of depression forever? My NaNoWriMo2014 piece. Rated T for dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

Everything We Had

Chapter One

The Rosewood Academy was an elite prep school a few miles outside of Elwood City. The building was large and old, its bricks covered in thick ivy that trailed up to the roof line. The architecture itself proved to the world that this was the place that future leaders went for training, a place for the best education in the area.

Students could only get into the academy by invitation, and even then, tuition was extremely high. Very few area students could actually afford the school, meaning that most were actually from out of town. Those students lived in a small dorm complex just off campus, their lives mandated by the school's officials. The only students free of their watchful eye were the local students. Only three were enrolled now: Muffy Crosswire, Sue Ellen Armstrong, and Fern Walters.

Fern received a journalism scholarship in the seventh grade after becoming a success on the Grebe Middle School paper, _Squawk Weekly_. Her English teacher recommended her to the Rosewood Academy Board of Directors, and they sent her an invitation within a few weeks. They accepted her before the year ended, but she didn't start until her eighth grade year. By then, Muffy and Sue Ellen were already there, and needless to say, they were rather surprised to see her. Fern's family didn't have a rich monetary or cultural background, and they knew she must be there on scholarship. Muffy turned on her, her father's logic about the poor rubbing off on her. Sue Ellen took to her side, and the two became best friends.

Now they were sixteen years old, and though Sue Ellen had helped Fern throughout these years, Fern's scholarship requirements were rising. Her responsibilities on the Rosewood Academy journal, _Prestige Periodical_, had grown since she entered the upper-most grades, and the only thing helping her through the madness was Sue Ellen. On a particularly busy Friday, Fern met her at a local coffee shop to talk about her week.

"I couldn't believe it when Dr. Hopkins asked me to redo my piece. He's usually so pleased with my work. Do you know what might've gotten him into a bad mood?" Fern questioned. Sue Ellen shook her head as she sipped her soy latte. "Well, something set him off. I don't mind redoing pieces when he actually tells me what needs to be improves. Maybe you could read it over."

"Fern, we've talked about this before," Sue Ellen said, pushing the paper away from her. "I can't judge your writing for the paper because I'm not as talented as you, and I doubt I ever will be. He's just challenging you because the board is seeking a grant renewal from their richest benefactors. You need to bring your best material, and if he rejected your work-"

Fern sighed, "Then it must not be my best," she murmured, hanging her head. "I just...things were easier when we were younger. They were less complicated, less...I just don't know. I used to have days like this when I was younger, days when I felt almost sick because I was so sad. Now it's deeper-"

"You're depressed," Sue Ellen interrupted. Fern gave her a perplexed look as she took a tiny bite of her scone. "You, Fern Walters, are reaching the Age of Depression. My mom is always reading these psychology journals thanks to some old friend of hers. I thumb through them when I have the time, and it said teens our age are more likely to face our first deep wave of depression. This must be your first. Your story got rejected, your math scores are abysmal-"

"You're not helping," Fern grumbled. Sue Ellen shrugged and smirked softly. "You think you are helping?" she asked. Sue Ellen nodded and sipped her drink. "Well you're not! I used to be able to come to you about these sorts of things. Now you diagnose me with problems, refuse to help me with anything. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, Fern. I have my own responsibilities though, and you rarely return the favor when it comes to listening. I've tried to look impatient as possible through this entire conversation, but you never even noticed!" Sue Ellen exclaimed, gathering her things. "I told you the other day, yesterday, _and_ this morning that my father needed me home early because of an embassy-related dinner. I'm leaving, Fern, and when we meet tomorrow, I want you to listen to me as well. You used to be so good at it, but ever since we got into high school...well, you're not as good of a friend anymore."

The words stung Fern as Sue Ellen stormed out of the coffee shop's rotating door, nearly trampling a teenage boy as she did. Fern sighed heavily and looked down to her scone and drink. She was a bad listener when it came to Sue Ellen's problems, but she had her reasons. Listening to Sue Ellen gave her time for her mind to wander, which meant her thoughts would return, thoughts she didn't know how to handle.

The thoughts started with a dream. It wasn't long after they'd entered the ninth grade and Fern was thinking of her old classmates. She dreamed she was in the old Elwood City High prepared for class. Sue Ellen skipped past in a cheerleader's outfit, yelling out rhymes at the other students. George hid behind his dummy, Wally, while Arthur looked on dumbfounded. When Fern looked back to Sue Ellen, she noticed her breasts for the first time and how they bounced when she moved. Fern woke up blushing, and when she saw Sue Ellen the next day, she took in the changes from afar. Later, she examined her own body and found that she wasn't as curvy or vivacious as Sue Ellen.

She hoped her insecurity with her own body would ease these thoughts, but since her ninth grade year, her dreams about Sue Ellen had become more frequent and more sexualized. The thoughts scared her, and though Sue Ellen was her best friend, Fern knew that wasn't the sort of thing she could discuss. Besides, Sue Ellen liked boys, and she'd mentioned a crush just a few weeks before-

"That was months ago!" Fern muttered to herself. She blushed as a fellow coffee drinker looked at her with an expression she hadn't seen before. Fern shrank in her seat; she knew that look from her own expressions. She'd studied them for a social sciences class the year before. It was the look you gave someone doing something inappropriate, and talking to yourself in a public restaurant was definitely inappropriate.

Fern decided to dispose of her scone though she'd barely touched it. She carried her coffee outside and tried to check her phone. She cursed under her breath as a line of code filled the cracked screen before the entire thing vibrated and went dark. Fern grumbled as she walked to the bus stop to wait for the next line.

Sue Ellen sat next to Fern in the Rosewood Academy library. She was wearing a dress and nice shoes, something Sue Ellen rarely did considering it was out of uniform. But when the librarian nodded to Sue Ellen with a smile, Fern understood: Her friend had gotten a job at the school.

"Dr. Hopkins interviewed me last night after the dinner," Sue Ellen explained. "He was hoping I could start today, so I asked him to file the Change of Uniform paperwork overnight. It was ready this morning, so now I'm an official intern for the Rosewood Academy Library. Miss Hardwell is getting my badge made now, so I can't talk long. Did you take my conversation to heart?" Sue Ellen asked. Fern gave her a perplexed expression and Sue Ellen sighed, "You are listening, but I'm not giving you a chance to do much else?" she guessed. Fern nodded solemnly. "Well, I get off at four and...well, I have another obligation after school. I'm sorry, Fern, but maybe we can talk online or see each other later in the week."

Fern watched her friend walk into the back portion of the library with envy. As a scholarship student, Fern did not qualify for the school's internships. Besides, her work with the paper—a requirement for her scholarship—was far more important, though she'd always loved libraries and dreamed of working in one.

As Fern looked down to her latest story, she felt a cool breeze against her skin, making it goose pimple. She overlooked the sensation as she eyed her story. She was satisfied with her work. It was a story on a local councilman's recent trip to Africa, a trip Fern and several other Elwood City residents didn't agree with for various reasons. Fern's interview helped clarify that the councilman was seeking a partnership with a small town so their students could come to the area to learn, and she felt the subject matter was important considering that the paper often reached the hands of local residents.

The bell rang and Fern closed her binder. She caught a glimpse of Sue Ellen darting from the library and her heart sank. Her best friend was pulling away from her, and she felt her throat tighten as she came to a sudden realization: They were parting ways, but Fern had never told Sue Ellen how she truly felt.

Fern sat on a bench outside of Dr. Hopkins's office. When he was finished with a phone call, he stepped outside and gestured for her to follow. Dr. Hopkins was a short, round man who usually appeared jovial even on his worst days. But today? He barely said anything as he settled behind his desk. Fern passed him a file folder and he accepted it. He opened it but immediately tossed it down.

"Miss Walters, we've discussed this story already. I asked you to find another topic, not because your work was not good enough or credible or whatever argument you've already come up with," Dr. Hopkins glared, sighing heavily. "I've had a horrible week, Fern, a week like you wouldn't believe. I'm impatient with you as it is, so I expect a decent excuse from you."

"I just want to know why this isn't good enough. Is it my language? Did my facts not check out? Did he redact his statement?" Fern pleaded. Dr. Hopkins sighed heavily and bent down behind his desk. He pulled out a file folder and placed it into Fern's shaky hand. Fern opened the folder and noticed it was a story by a younger student, a journalism prodigy also at the school on scholarship. "So, you liked her story better?"

"Her perspective was fresh, inviting, warm," Dr. Hopkins smiled, almost licking his lips with pleasure. "I enjoy her style more because our readers enjoy her more. I almost chose to publish an editorial from a long-time reader commending her on her good work, but I knew that would upset some of the other writers. And I know I'm upsetting you now, Fern, but unless you get me some better material soon, I might have to cut you from the staff, which would end your time here with us. I don't want to do that, so I'll give you a lead-"

"I want to cover the councilman because his issues are important," Fern interrupted. Dr. Hopkins shrugged, "He's a has-been councilman, but if you know something I don't, feel free to tell me now," he said quickly with a hint of growing irritation. Fern stared at him blankly. "You didn't know he was leaving after this term? Well, he is. Find the new guys. Interview them. But, I know one of them, and he hates children, especially teenage girls like yourself. The other candidate is rarely in the country anyhow. You have nothing to go on here, Fern. Change your tactics and get used to this. For someone who loves journalism as much as you seem to, you know nothing about the industry."

"Fine," Fern muttered, gathering her things. Dr. Hopkins called after her, a Post-It in his hand. He rushed after Fern, but she had already disappeared. He crumpled the yellow paper and tossed it into the trash, missing and grumbling under his breath.

A room over, Fern was sobbing in an empty room. She couldn't believe her life was crumbling so quickly, that she was losing her friend as well as her spot on the staff. She wanted to cover the councilman because that's what the local papers covered. They obviously found the topic important, and since she couldn't submit her works directly to them without breaking the terms of her scholarship, Fern hoped they would continue publishing her at the academy. Instead, the new girl was getting her spot. Fern felt like a washed up has-been just like the councilman.

Fern composed herself as a deep chill filled the room. She gathered her things and stepped outside. A heavy rain was falling and Fern sighed under her breath. She pulled her phone from her pocket, but it hadn't turned on properly for days. Now it vibrated and hummed, and Fern thought she felt it tingle against her slightly damp fingers. She dropped the phone, dividing it into several pieces and cracking the lens further. She tried to reenter the building to use their phone but the door was locked.

Fern sighed and reached into her bag for her umbrella. She found it underneath her math book and attempted to open it...but the metal pieces holding the fabric together flew out at unnatural angles, making the umbrella a useless contraption. She left it on the ground and pulled up the collar of her uniform. She jogged to the dorms and found the RA inside her office. She looked Fern over as she shook water off onto the floor.

"You can't use our phone," she said dully. "A guy tried that last week and we got in trouble for it, cell phones too," she murmured, smacking gum as she pointed to a list of rules. Fern nodded but saw nothing about waiting, so she tried to sit on a nearby bench. "Nope, sorry. You don't live here so you have to go home. It's not far to the bus."

Fern wanted to tell the girl off, but she composed herself quickly and rushed into the rain. It covered her tears from the outside world, but it did nothing to ease her harmful thoughts. Fern's life wouldn't be great if she had to return to Elwood City High and her classmates. She suppressed memories as a truck flew past, splashing Fern with muddy water as she hiked towards the bus stop. In the place of her memories, Sue Ellen's form appeared. She was in a librarian's outfit and flitting around the stacks with a busy expression. Fern tried to speak to her, but Sue Ellen seemed to look through her as if she wasn't there. Fern continued the daydream, running from the fake library and directly into the newspaper office. No one could see her there either.

Fern shivered as a gust of wind ripped through her wet clothes. She liked the idea of being invisible, of leaving the world behind. She'd had the thoughts before, but they never felt as final as they did now, as logical. She reached the bus stop just in time for the bus, ending the thoughts in an instant. But as she dripped on the city bus, the driver glaring at her puddles using the bus's mirrors, she made herself a promise: If things didn't get better within a week, she would consider all options to make herself feel better.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Fern woke up to see her alarm clock flashing. Fern groaned and slid it towards her to examine the electronic. The battery fell from the bottom and the clock went dead. Fern sighed and tried to turn on her bedside lamp, but the power was gone. She stumbled out of bed and downstairs. Her mother was at the kitchen table surrounded by candles and paperwork, paperwork that she quickly tried to pile into containers again, blowing out candles to dim the lighting.

"Mom, what's going on? Why don't we have power?" Fern asked. Her mother shook her head, tossing the boxes under the table. "It's Saturday, right?" Fern questioned. Her mother nodded and moved into the kitchen. She went back to the table to grab a candle before searching the cupboards and pulling out a rusty kettle. "Mom, seriously? We'll be fine."

"Some people need coffee, Fern," her mother snapped. Fern sighed and sat at the table, her toes gently tickling the edge of the box. "Don't kick that! Those are important and-"

"I know, I know! I'm going back to bed!" Fern screamed, storming up the stairs. As she entered her room, she stubbed her toe against the door frame, but she refused to cry out and give her mother that satisfaction. Instead she jumped into bed and sobbed into her pillow because of the pain. It faded after a few minutes, but the strange sight downstairs was on her mind. That wasn't the first time she'd seen her mother looking through paperwork, and Fern wondered if this "power outage" was limited to just their house. She tiptoed gingerly to the window and peeked out her curtains. Sure enough, every other house on the street had power.

Fern sighed heavily and sat down at her desk. Her computer had given her problems for months, so she found an old typewriter at a thrift store and started using that. She remembered Mr. Hopkins looking fondly at her first story that she turned in using the device. The way the typeface looked reminded him of an era Fern didn't know, an era Fern wouldn't even think about if she didn't have so many problems with technology. She sighed again as she remembered her phone. It was in too many pieces to pick up, so she'd left it in the rain. The janitors probably got rid of the mess by now, she thought, looking up as her mother entered with a small candle.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you, Fernie, but...well, we're experiencing some financial difficulties. The power had to go so we could have food, but now I'm regretting my decision. I'm going to see about some coffee from a restaurant, and then we'll talk about this," her mother said, a hint of guilt in her voice. Fern nodded meekly. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. "Do you want anything while I'm out, anything cheap?" her mother asked, blushing at the word "cheap."

Fern shook her head, but she did follow her mother downstairs. The living room had enough light from the streetlamps, so Fern sat and thought about things. Her father left when Fern was ten years old. She was devastated, especially when she found out he left because of an affair. He was married to the woman now, but Fern and her mother kept their distance from him. He meant nothing to her now but a paycheck, and lately, her child support checks had kept her uniforms in pristine condition and her afternoon activities funded. But Fern could tell her mother was suffering, and she wondered what she could possibly do about it.

A few minutes later, her mother arrived without a cup of coffee. The street lamps flickered off as the sun rose outside, but the living room was still quite dark. The women moved candles from the dining room and onto the coffee table in the front room. They settled into their favorite spots and stared at each other in an awkward silence.

Finally, Fern's mother sighed heavily, "The real estate market hasn't exactly recovered as quickly as they keep saying. They let me go a few months ago, but I have managed to sell a few homes privately using connections. Those connections are dry now, and honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do. I...put in an application at the grocery store to be an inspection manager in the back room, but they said my references for that sort of work are too old and I'd have to start at the bottom. Since your old friends go there, I figured you didn't want your mom working there."

"What would my old friends have to do with anything?" Fern asked. Her mother sighed heavily and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Dr. Hopkins must've said something to you. What did he say?" Fern added, her voice rising along with her level of concern.

"Calm down, Fern, this was a few weeks ago. He suggested I help you find some interesting stories because of some younger competition, but I turned him down. Journalism is your subject, not mine, and I thought you could handle the workload the academy set out for you. You were aware of the importance of good stories when we enrolled you there, so I thought you hadn't forgotten. But if this younger competition really is a problem-"

"It's not," Fern said quickly. "He just rejected my latest story and our last meeting didn't go well is all. I thought he'd cut me because I didn't have something immediately to send him last night. Everyone uses computers now, and mine is broken-"

"We lost the internet before we lost the power," her mother added with a weak smile. "I'll get through this, but I need to know my baby girl is okay. Are you struggling with anything? Your latest math report card wasn't that great...," she hinted, but Fern remained quiet. "Fine, fine. I'll work on getting a job out of the public's eye, but I can't afford gas all the time for job searches, so I might have to find something close. Are you okay with that?"

"Whatever makes you happy," Fern smiled. Her mother nodded. She stood and walked over to Fern, kissing her forehead gently. Fern usually felt a little tingle of her mother's love when she did this, but today, she felt nothing. A few minutes later, Fern went upstairs to her room and stared at her typewriter. She tried to think of a good story, journalism or otherwise, but no ideas came. She got dressed a few minutes later and walked to the store to take a peek at the local news. On the second page was a story from a "new young author," so Fern used her change to buy a copy. Inside was a story from her young competitor, a similar story to her councilman story but from a different perspective.

Fern read the story and sank onto a park bench. The final quote of the councilman? "Those rumors that this term will be my last are far from the truth. I wish to continue serving my home community, and I will not stop until I can no longer do so."

Fern gulped and tossed the paper in the trash. She was trying to hold back tears until she felt something wet touch her hand as she brushed it past her jeans. She'd sat in a large wad of bird poo, and the stress made her break into rocking sobs. She couldn't believe what her weekend was becoming, and she wondered if she should alter her promise to match.

Sue Ellen looked to Fern with a weak smile before stepping into the house. Fern's father had come through with extra money to pay the bill, money that would keep coming until his ex-wife could come up with a job, so Fern was happy to let Sue Ellen upstairs into her room. Sue Ellen sat on the bed and pulled a binder out of her bag.

"I thought we could study together," Sue Ellen said, picking up her binder so she could move her bag to the floor. When she did, a copy of the local paper fell out. Fern scowled at Sue Ellen as she sank into her desk chair. "Okay, I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you about this too, so I lied a little. Can we talk about this?"

"What do you want to talk about?" Fern asked defiantly. Sue Ellen sighed, "You're upset. Look, I was stressed that day. I'm sorry about what I said about you not being a great listener. You're a wonderful listener, and I think I should listen to you more often. I want you to explain to me what happened here," Sue Ellen said, pointing to the paper. Fern shrugged. "You don't even know? Look, she's a scholarship student like you, but Dr. Hopkins endorsed this-"

"I know!" Fern exclaimed. She sighed heavily, "I don't know what the problem is, Sue Ellen, but he's calling me a has-been. I think he wants me gone so this girl can replace me. Who is she anyway? Margaret Barber...Barber?" Fern said, thinking out loud. She looked at the paper and her mouth fell open, "Barber is the family name of the previous headmaster. I wonder if they're related."

"Could be," Sue Ellen nodded, pulling out her smart phone. It easily searched for information regarding the school's last headmaster, Mitchell Barber. Sue Ellen found the necessary information and read it out loud, "'He has two sons and a daughter, as well as one granddaughter, Margie Barber.' I bet she picked the more standard name to throw people off her trail! Could you write about that?"

"Sue Ellen, I can't slander the name of a former headmaster's only granddaughter!" Fern cried, sinking onto the bed. "I can't compete with her. She shouldn't even be there, but who am I to say anything? I'm just a pathetic scholarship student with nothing left to write anymore because she took it! Look at my story. She got a few different quotes and worded things differently, but—oh, what's the use?" Fern sighed, beginning to hand Sue Ellen the story but pulling the folder away at the last second.

"Fern, I want to help you," Sue Ellen smiled sympathetically, holding her hand out for the file. Fern paused for a moment, but she finally gave in, blushing as she waited for Sue Ellen to read through her story. "Yours was more accurate and detailed than hers, even if her style was more engaging. I thought journalism was about getting to the point, not fluffing it up for readers."

"I know! See, we're on the same page, but there's nothing I can do. I guess I should just...get ready to go to Elwood City High," Fern sighed. She felt tears coming, so she put her head in her hands. Sue Ellen rushed to her side to cheer her up. Fern raised her head and their eyes met. On instinct, Fern leaned forward. She was aiming for Sue Ellen's lips, her mind wondering if they felt as soft as they did in her dreams.

But Sue Ellen pulled her into a hug instead. When Fern let go, Sue Ellen was blushing a vivid red. Fern blushed and moved to her desk. The tension was thick and the silence was awkward. Sue Ellen gathered her things.

"I...um...don't go that way," Sue Ellen whispered. "I'm sorry you're having such a horrible time. You'll get through this. I'll see if my dad will let you have an interview before he goes on his European Union tour. Okay?" Sue Ellen asked. Fern remained silent as she faced the wall. "Fern?" Sue Ellen called.

"Please, just go. I'll find someone else," Fern whispered. She didn't turn around, and Sue Ellen waited. Usually Fern walked her out, but after the strange events, Fern remained seated, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. She could barely hear when Sue Ellen closed her bedroom door and moved downstairs.

A few minutes later, Fern got an idea. She pulled out a piece of paper and slid it into her typewriter. She thought about it for a moment before starting to type. The letters flowed through her fingers as words formed on the page. Fern barely remembered to slide the bar in time, making her rows uneven as she typed, but Fern didn't care about looks. She typed until she was done, her face pale as if all emotions were now on the page rather than inside her.

Fern tucked the writing under her pillow. She then gathered her things and told her mother she was going for a walk. Her mother didn't mind; Fern normally did that sort of thing on nice, Sunday afternoons. She watched as Fern turned towards town, her mind focused solely on cleaning the kitchen and dancing to the songs on the radio.

An hour later, the songs stopped as breaking news bulletins poured through the radio. Miss Edmonds sat on the couch reading the Sunday paper, only realizing the radio was on when she heard constant talking. She stood to turn it off, but a phone call stopped her. She answered it...and a moment later, the phone was on the floor. Fern's mother shook as she dropped to her knees, her eyes staring forward as she felt for the phone.

"Fern?" she whispered.

"She's gone, Ma'am. We'll send an officer-"

Fern's mother dropped the phone again and broke into heavy sobs before laying across the floor. Her beloved daughter was dead.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Fern opened her eyes slowly. She found herself in an empty classroom at Rosewood Academy, the room dark and the wooden chairs positioned on top of the desks. The only surprise, other than Fern being at school, as a girl laying across the teacher's desk flipping through a magazine while bobbing her head to blaring rock music. Fern eyed her closely. Though most of her was solid, parts of her were translucent, and the magazine itself sank through her at certain parts in an unnatural way.

The girl must've sensed Fern's shock and looked up. She pulled off her headphones and smiled softly as she turned off her MP3 player and tossed the magazine onto the floor. She got down and almost floated to Fern: Her legs moved, but her heels made no noise on the pristine wooden floors. The girl stood next to Fern and looked her over.

"I didn't think you were going to be a good one, but I see you're here. Welcome to purgatory," she said, extending her hand. Fern extended hers and gasped loudly. The girl laughed heavily before apologizing, "Sorry, sorry, but this part never gets old. My name is Savanna Mills and I've been here for years. I've seen girls like you come and go, boys as well. Some might call it tragic, but I see it as a fun hobby of mine. My job is to help you eventually cross over to the other side. For now, I just want to know what happened to you."

"You sound like you know who I am," Fern whispered. Savanna nodded softly, "This academy is my home, and I keep an eye on whatever I want to see. I know everything about this school, every dirty secret, and I know what's going on with your paper situation. I noticed you were upset, so...I know it got to you as well. But that doesn't explain why you're here."

"I went for a walk," Fern said simply. Savanna scrunched her brow and scoffed. She gestured for Fern to walk with her, and they moved into the hallway, slipping through the wall to do so. Fern was a little surprised at first, but the changeover from the dark room to the semi-lit hallway helped her remember, "I decided to go for a walk, a...walk to end my life. I remember going over the pedestrian bridge by Elwood City University, well, approaching the bridge. I don't remember reaching the end, but I do remember...getting hit by a truck."

"Damn," Savanna sighed. "Another jumper-plus-semi-truck equation. You have no idea how boring that really is until I walk you through the in memorandum cabinet in the basement," she winked. "Sorry, I'm not being very helpful. Well, you're a ghost now. This is a version of limbo, I've discovered, and until you discover exactly what's keeping you here, then here you shall stay. This school is my territory, but I don't mind sharing. I don't mind being here at all. I get to go to all the parties, see all the little happenings that make this school so worthwhile, and...I get a front row seat to sights like this," Savanna smiled deviously, approaching the window. They were on the third floor of the building on the side overlooking the dormitory building. Outside, a bunch of girls were running around while a coach watched. The ground was still muddy, so the girls slipped and fell often. Savanna cackled before sighing heavily and sinking to the floor.

"What's so great about that?" Fern asked, sitting next to her. Savanna shrugged, exhaling slowly as she looked straight ahead, "It takes some getting used to. For a few weeks, you'll be stuck in The Moment, that moment when you passed. When you move on from that, then you can start focusing on why you're here in the first place. I don't know you very well, but I know of you. There's a lot of students here, but you intrigued me as of late. Why you had to go and off yourself is beyond me, but maybe that's the scandal this school needs," Savanna said, standing and looking out the window. The girls had gone inside since they sat down. Savanna pouted as she walked up the hallway. Fern followed her.

A few minutes later, they were behind the bleachers in the gym. Several items lay scattered behind a small mechanical panel, and Savanna pulled out a cell phone that Fern recognized: Her own. She accepted the device from Savanna, who exhaled slowly as she grabbed a small journal.

"These are the dead things of Rosewood Academy. Your phone is the newest addition, but this journal is the oldest. I burned it in the dorms about forty years ago. I was expelled for the act, but my rich parents wouldn't come get me because I'd 'ruin their trip to France'," she mocked, applying a posh French accent to her words. She sighed, "I said to hell with the place and started walking. Near the bus stop, a man got out of a car, decided I was good pickin's, and I became a semi-willing kidnapping victim, another statistic in the end. He killed me that night, but my stupid, full-of-themselves parents have hope I'm still out there because my body was never found," Savanna murmured, touching the cover of the journal. "I'm here because I wanted to get noticed in this world for something more than my father's bank account. As a ghost, _the_ resident ghost of Rosewood Academy, I have my run of the place, and yes, people know I'm here."

Fern nodded, looking over her cell phone. All the pieces were back together again, and when Fern pushed the "on" button, the device came to life without any strange vibrations, walls of code, or anything else Fern got before. Savanna smirked as she watched Fern turn the device over in her hands.

"It feels so real, but I can't do anything with it," Fern whispered. Savanna nodded, "Technology will be your friend now, my little klutz. Electricity will bend to your will...eventually. Your power will grow with time, of course, and then you'll be able to read the living's magazines and move their coffee mugs. Oh, you have no idea how fun it is to move Dr. Hopkin's coffee mug," Savanna laughed. Fern smiled to herself; Dr. Hopkins did have a thing for coffee, and moving it probably had disastrous—yet hilarious—effects.

Fern put her cell phone into her pocket and looked around the area, "So, this is my new home now? I'm stuck here?" she asked. Savanna shook her head and extended her hand. "What are you doing?" Fern questioned. Savanna smirked softly and gestured for her hand. Fern sighed softly and accepted it.

In a flash, they were inside a posh mansion like none Fern had seen before. She's spent considerable hours at Muffy's mansion in elementary school, but the contents of this house even outmatched their luxurious home. Fern stepped up to a taxidermy tiger in the middle of the entryway as Savanna ran her hand along the marble-clad walls.

"This is a fun house to explore, especially when they're having parties here. The family's daughter started going to Rosewood Academy a few years ago, and when she passed a note about a party to a friend—both of them too young for secret notes about parties—I just had to follow them home. This place is a modern-day castle, and you'd be surprised what sorts of drama happens within these walls," Savanna said, smiling brightly as she stuck her hand through a china cabinet and moved one of the plates. "The woman of the house will notice that," she muttered to herself, turning to see what Fern was doing. She was still focused on the tiger. "You should see the game room. They have an elephant's head plastered to the wall. It's the most disgusting thing-"

"I know these things. I mean, I never saw them in my life, but I remember hearing about them. Who owns this house?" Fern questioned. Savanna smirked and gestured Fern to follow her deeper into the house. Fern obeyed...and she came face to face with a portrait of a familiar person, Sue Ellen's father. Fern's mouth fell open and she sank to the floor.

"I thought you knew her," Savanna said, sitting beside her. Fern nodded solemnly. "Well, I'm surprised actually. I only knew her as the ambassador's daughter, a suck up to the rich crowd. I thought she was friends with you and with that other spoiled brat on the side because the other girl doesn't like you, but I'll be honest, I only come here for the parties. There should be one happening tonight if you're interested."

"Muffy was with her all along," Fern whispered. "I mean, I almost expected that. They were here a few years without me. They were probably best friends and I broke them up at first. But I hate the lies. I can't believe she lied to me after all she did with me, for me," Fern sighed, standing up. "I want to go back to the academy. I don't want to be here and know what happens just yet. It'd be too-"

Before Savanna could stand and before Fern could finish her sentence, a well-dressed Sue Ellen pranced past in the most expensive outfit Fern had ever seen. She approached the door just as a man in a suit opened it. Muffy appeared in her own expensive outfit, a bright smile on her lipstick-covered lips. Fern looked on with disgust as the girls moved into the parlor and sat on the couch. They were gossiping about someone, but Fern couldn't tell who.

"I think it's too late to go back," Savanna whispered. "Let's just eavesdrop. I know you've always wanted to eavesdrop on a conversation from a good vantage point. Now you can do it all you want," Savanna grinned. Fern nodded and stepped into the room. Muffy and Sue Ellen were laughing at some sort of joke as Fern sat in a chair nearby. Savanna remained at the edge of the room, her power so strong she knew the girls would notice.

"So, how's your little friend doing?" Muffy asked. Sue Ellen scoffed. "What? I really am curious. Her hardship means a lot to me, more than anything in the world, actually. Tell me everything."

"It's none of your business. I'm trying to let her down easy, but it's hard to do. I'll complete the process within the next few weeks. She's probably going to be asked to leave anyway," Sue Ellen murmured. Fern felt her ears burn: They were definitely talking about her. Muffy smiled softly, but Fern could sense the deviousness of it. "Muffy, it's not funny. The school is letting a former headmaster's daughter take a scholarship position-"

"Ah, you're talking about Margie," Muffy grinned. "She's a wonderful person. She deserves to be at Rosewood Academy, but there were no more dorms for regular students this year, so she was put in on scholarship to get one of those rooms. Her family is paying their dues, and I hear her stories are even making the local papers."

"That's against the rules!" Sue Ellen hissed. Muffy laughed, "Get over it, Sue Ellen. You're not one of them, so stop concerning yourself with their conditions. Fern will be expelled soon and go to Elwood City High, where they'll eat her alive the moment she steps through the door. And, you missed this part, but she'll deserve it. I know what she did. It's inexcusable, and I have the evidence-"

"I don't want to see the evidence!" Sue Ellen fumed. "I knew it would never work, being your friend and Fern's. But you have to let me separate from her before you keep slamming her like this!" Sue Ellen exclaimed. Muffy gave her a strange look. "What? Oh," Sue Ellen sighed. "I'm overreacting. Well, it happens sometimes," Sue Ellen murmured. Muffy slid to the edge of her seat and looked on to Sue Ellen eagerly. "I'm not telling you, Muffy, no matter how much you try to persuade me. Some things are none of your business."

A moment later, the man in the suit reentered the room. He stood next to Sue Ellen silently until she acknowledged him. Then he gestured for her to follow. Sue Ellen obeyed, but Muffy didn't follow until Sue Ellen's cry reached her. Muffy, Fern, and Savanna entered a small den, where the television was broadcasting the news of Fern's death. Sue Ellen sank onto a small couch and fanned herself, tears streaming down her face despite this. Muffy humphed and sat in another chair as the ambassador entered the room.

"Sue Ellen, I just heard the news. How tragic that you've lost a classmate," Mr. Armstrong said. Fern sighed heavily and returned to the parlor with Savanna not far behind her. Savanna touched her shoulder and the girls were back in the academy, specifically the cafeteria. The girls sat at a table until Fern was ready to speak.

"I...I feel horrible right now. Her family didn't know we were friends, Muffy only cared because Sue Ellen could get first-hand gossip on me. I feel so betrayed," Fern whispered. "I thought Sue Ellen actually wanted to be my friend all these years. Looking back, her friendship was just a ploy."

Suddenly, the room changed. Fern looked up and realized she was inside a memory of the year she came to Rosewood Academy. Her thirteen year old form was walking through the tables, a nervous look on her face. She already knew she wasn't wanted by Muffy at this point, but who would she sit with? Fern saw an empty table and rushed to it, realizing too late that someone's things were already there. It was too late to move now, so Fern remained, gingerly eating the nice food, catered from a luxury kitchen in the area.

As Fern took in the flavors, Sue Ellen approached and smiled weakly. She sat with Fern, her tray covered in vegetarian alternatives of the day's menu. She said nothing at first, but finally she reached out her hand and touched Fern's arm. Her words echoed through the memory: "I'll be your friend if Muffy won't—if Muffy won't—if Muffy won't."

Fern gasped and felt the room change. Savanna was looking back at her as she looked over the room. It was empty again, but Fern still felt as if she were in the moment. The feeling she remembered having when the event happened—acceptance—gave way to hindsight, leaving her feeling betrayed.

"I should leave you alone for a while," Savanna smiled, standing and leaving the room. Fern remained, closing her eyes as she lay across the table. Time flew past, and when Fern opened her eyes again, students were trickling into the room. Fern began walking the halls to avoid people, and she found herself at the top of the school's clock tower. She sat behind the glass face and cried to herself, wondering what she was going to do now.

When the students left for the day, Savanna and Fern reunited in the library. Savanna looked around with a perplexed expression, going into each of the rooms the librarians used on a day-to-day basis, but none of them were there. Fern wandered the room as well, her eyes falling on a small hand-written poster: RIP Fern Walters.

Fern sighed as Savanna emerged from the offices, "Normally a few of them are still here. Librarians are used to things being completely silent in here, but I," Savanna smirked, approaching a small rolling car, "can make noises if I try hard enough," she said, touching the cart and gently rocking it back and forth. A light squeaking noise filled the room as the lights flickered off automatically. Savanna glared at them, rocking the cart harder. A moment later, the movement was picked up by the sensor, and the lights flickered on again.

"I'm not really in the mood for fun," Fern admitted, moving into the stacks. Savanna sighed and followed her. "I also think I want to be alone for a while," Fern added. Savanna nodded in understanding, but she remained at the beginning of the aisle, her fingers running over the leather of each book cover. "Go away please," Fern glared.

"Look, I'm here because I think you really do need my help even if you're not up for it right now. You learned some hard news yesterday, and...you completely disappeared into that flashback. I've been doing this for years, Fern, and _no one_ has disappeared like that, not even the football player," Savanna said, leaning against the shelf. Fern thought for a moment. She remembered the football prodigy; he died in a motorcycle wreck the year before along with his friend. "He died after his friend, and he couldn't get over himself for what he did. He showed up here just like you did, except he was in the trophy room. I know you remember the vandalism allegations because you covered the story."

"All the glass was broken," Fern remembered. Savanna nodded, "Yes, all the glass was broken. He made the cases explode in his rage. He hated himself for what he did. I finally convinced him to go someplace a little more conducive for that sort of thing, and the last I heard, he habits the football field. He sleeps under the bleachers and sits on the uprights during home games, never during practice. During practice, he runs with the guys, stuck in the moment. You can't do that to yourself, Fern. You can't get stuck in the past, but you do need to work through it."

Fern thought for a moment before sinking onto a small stool. She looked up at Savanna before looking back to the floor. Savanna nodded to herself before sliding her fingers along the books again. She rounded the corner and ended up on the next aisle. Fern looked up and saw her peeking through the books. Fern sighed heavily.

"I know I need to work through everything, but you don't understand the situation. You barely know me, and you don't know what happened between us over the years. You don't know the whole story, and I don't want to retell it now. You can't help me," Fern sighed. Savanna nodded, "Well, I've been in that situation before. Five hundred students attend this school at a time, and we lose one to two each year. Sometimes they move on, sometimes they don't. Either way, when someone does show up, I try to help them even though, by default, I barely know them. Once I got a kid I liked to mess with, and I had to pretend not to know him because my pranks got to him after a while."

Fern gave her a stern look, "Did you drive him to kill himself?" Savanna laughed, "Sorry, sorry, wrong reaction, but no," she said, letting her smirk fall from her lips. She cleared her throat, "He showed up after a tragic lawn accident. It was easy getting him to move on, just a little convincing that no one was after him. I know your case is far more complex, more complex than I will ever be able to realize without your help. Start when you wish, tell me whatever you like. But don't underestimate the powers of Savanna Mills."

Fern stood and exhaled slowly. Savanna looked to her expectantly. Fern closed her eyes and kicked at the floor, "I can tell you why I did what I did, if you think that would help," Fern offered. Savanna nodded, returning to the same aisle as Fern. Fern led her to a series of tables by the window and they sat down. "I made a promise to myself the other day that if things didn't get better, I would leave this world somehow. I was losing my spot on the paper because of a fake person, and I was losing my best friend to her duties. Then, I tried to kiss her. She pulled away and left, and I knew she was gone for good. I felt invisible, unwanted, and...I doubted if anyone really wanted me around anyway. So I typed up the letter a few days early and went for a walk. It just happened. I saw the bridge didn't have much fencing and I climbed over the rail. I jumped before anyone could stop me. A truck hit me before I could reach the bottom," Fern sighed, wincing as the moment of the truck hitting her replayed in her mind. The moment passed and she opened her eyes to see Savanna waiting patiently. "And...I felt free until I saw her again. I felt like I'd made the right choice, that I was finally as invisible as I felt, but now? I think I messed up."

"Suicide is dirty like that," Savanna nodded, "but what's done is done. I want you to feel happy being as you are before we start working on your problems. Would you like that? Would you like to be as carefree as Savanna Mills?" Savanna questioned, a devious smile on her lips. Fern shrugged softly. "Ah, it depends on what I have in mind. Well...we'll start when class begins tomorrow. Tonight, I leave you to your thoughts. I...see what you're saying now about your friend. You pretty much confessed your love to have it thrown in your face. I've been there, and it's not an easy hardship to get through. But you're a ghost for a reason, Fern. I think you'll be happy here once you see how fun this job really is. And when you're ready, you can spy on Sue Ellen again, maybe even your own mother-"

"I can spy on my mother?!" Fern exclaimed. Savanna laughed, "As long as you can picture the location, I can help you go there. If you want to watch your mother, fine. Truly, in your case, I would wait-," Savanna suggested, but Fern shook her head firmly. Savanna sighed heavily, "Please, Fern, you're not going to like what you see. I've done this before and it never works. Please, not today," Savanna pleaded. Fern shook her head, closing her eyes. She pictured her bedroom and started to fade from view. Savanna sighed heavily and placed her hand on Fern's shoulder, transferring some of her power to help in the transport.

The scene changed and the girls found themselves in Fern's bedroom. Savanna tensed as they moved into the hallway through the wall. Lights were on downstairs, so Fern hovered down them. She spied her mother on the couch, another woman beside her. Fern looked closely and saw her father standing solemnly by the door. A small boy played on the floor, his babbles going unnoticed.

"Shit," Savanna cursed, pulling Fern backwards. Fern was thoroughly confused until Savanna pointed to the boy, "Some children can see us. You don't need that attention, Fern, not yet. Doesn't he know you?"

"He's my half-brother, but my father isn't with the family anymore. He had an affair, and the kid is his love child. That's his new wife," Fern pointed. Savanna blushed, sinking to sit on the stairs. "What's wrong? I just want to see what's going on. My father hasn't been back here since the divorce—what's wrong?" Fern asked again.

Savanna shook her head, "You just...your family is a lot like mine, okay? Just do whatever you need to do. I'll be in your room if you need me, and I promise not to look at anything. But be quick," Savanna added before rushing up the stairs and through Fern's bedroom door.

Fern gulped and looked into the room. She moved to the foot of the stairs and sat down. Her mother was weeping while her step-mother looked aimlessly at the television. They were watching a game show channel, and though Fern's mother would normally be yelling the answers at the television, the room was quiet aside from the toddler's babbles. Fern watched him for a moment until he looked up at her. His expression flickered and Fern tensed, wondering if the boy could see her. A second later, his focus was back on his toys. Fern sighed with relief and moved to the corner of the room behind her mother.

Fern immediately felt a rush of guilt. Her mother looked years older, maybe even decades, as she wept on the couch. Her father was still staring out the window beside the door, his eyes remaining open far longer than Fern knew was healthy. She couldn't believe what she'd done to her parents, especially to reunite the love triangle that shattered Fern's precious world. Her step-mother shifted on the couch and Fern noticed her stomach looked pregnant. Fern then looked to her mother again. She blinked as she looked at the television. She knew the answer, and Fern watched her neck tense as her muscles formed the words, but she never spoke.

"Honey, I really think we should get Charlie back home," Fern's step-mother whispered, though the sound was so shocking it reminded Fern of lightning. Her mother shifted, moving into the kitchen and pouring herself a cup of coffee. Fern's step-mother sighed, "Greg, do you mind?"

"Do you?" he asked coldly, finally blinking and moving away from the door. "You act like this is a burden to you, Matilda. I don't appreciate that. I let this family go because of you, and now look what happened!" he hissed in a low whisper. Fern's mother ducked into the refrigerator to get milk for her coffee. Fern's step-mother remained silent as the baby continued to babel on the floor. "I loved Fern more than I've been able to tell her lately. Maybe if you'd let me contact them, I could've helped her. You read that letter. She was hurting! But you're too worried about him and your condition to care that my heart is shattered!"

"Stop being so melodramatic, Greg," Fern's step-mother sighed. "You're guilty because _you_ never came home, not that _I_ kept you from here. Don't fork your blame onto me. I've done nothing to keep you from them. I'm the one that wrote the check to keep these lights on, and I'll do it again too. It took work to get it back over the weekend too, but you seem to be forgetting that I do actually care about them."

"No you don't!" Fern's father glared as Fern's mother returned to the room, her expression just as oblivious as the baby. Matilda shifted on the couch, shoving a pillow behind her back. Fern's father sank heavily into a chair, a silent battle of the wills. Finally, a foul smell filled the room, and Matilda used it as an excuse to get out of the house, saying she had no more diaper wipes. Fern's father glared at her again before standing slowly.

"It's okay if you leave, Greg. I'm surprised you came in the first place," Fern's mother said, cutting him off before he could speak. He exhaled, watching as his new wife picked up his young son. "Go, please. I'll be fine. I'll see you Tuesday at the service," Fern's mother muttered. Matilda said nothing as she left the room. Fern's father nodded and tried to speak, but his words failed him. He followed his wife out the door, and a few moments later, he burned rubber as he left the driveway.

Fern's mother sighed heavily and sipped her coffee. A sharp smell filled Fern's nose, and she realized her mother had added quite a bit of alcohol to the beverage. Fern moved into the kitchen and noticed two bottles on the counter and three more in the cabinet. She'd seen her mother drink before after the divorce, but not at this scale.

Savanna entered the room and saw the bottles. She exhaled slowly before tapping Fern's shoulder, "We need to get back, Fern. You don't need to say this. It'll only increase the guilt-," she said, stopping as Fern nodded. Savanna pictured the school, and a moment later, the girls were back in the gym. They parted ways and Fern moved behind the clock face again. Below her, she could see teens playing Frisbee. She sighed, realizing she never did anything like that during her lifetime, at least not since elementary school. Fern knew she ended those chances herself, but she still wished things had been different, that she could go back to her Lakewood Elementary days in Mr. Ratburn's class so she could start over.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The next morning, Fern found Savanna in the school cafeteria. Savanna was irritating a young blonde, moving strands of hair into the wrong place while she applied heavy amounts of makeup. When she moved the mirror upwards and saw the misplaced hairs, she grumbled loudly, causing her friend to laugh. Fern smirked herself as Savanna moved to her side.

"This is what I do for a living, and despite all these years, it hasn't gotten old yet," she winked, pointing to a nerd at the other end of the cafeteria, "You have no idea how fun it is to manipulate his calculator during class. He doesn't have full-blown outbursts, but he has gotten detention for his actions. I do regret that, but hey, I like having fun. By the way, there's another party at the Armstrong house tonight. A lot of others just like us are going to be there, and I want you to come."

"That's Sue Ellen's house. I can't go there," Fern said sternly. Savanna shrugged, "You don't know what you're missing. Honestly, Sue Ellen probably won't be making an appearance. Muffy is here, but there's a distinctly empty seat at that table," Savanna pointed, moving closer to them. Fern was nervous about being so close to Muffy, but she followed anyway. When they reached the table, Muffy was showing the others a magazine on her tablet. Savanna grinned as she looked the technology over, "You should do this one, Fern, your first technological frustration," Savanna said. Fern shook her head. "Look, when she's in the middle of switching the tablet around, turn the page or press the 'off' button," Savanna snickered. Fern shook her head again. "Oh, come on, Fern!"

"Fine," Fern sighed, changing spots with her. Muffy described a beautiful blue dress in great detail before moving to let the others see her device. Fern swiped the screen hard, moving the pages back to the beginning of the magazine. Her friends noticed and Muffy turned the tablet back around again.

"What...? That's not where I had it. Ugh, I hate this thing!" Muffy spat, moving it to the proper page. She moved to turn the tablet around again but Fern swiped in the opposite direction, putting the magazine at a page close to the end of the issue. Muffy's friends snickered, as did Fern and Savanna. Muffy grumbled loudly as the bell chimed overhead. "Fine! I'll send you the pictures on InstaPic," Muffy said matter-of-factly, gathering her things and rushing from the room. "And text me if you see Sue Ellen!" she called back to them.

"See how easy that was?" Savanna asked. Fern nodded, following Savanna to a different nearby table. Fern felt more tired than before, and Savanna nodded to herself as Fern lay across the table, her arms nearly falling through the surface. "Maybe you aren't as ready as I thought for things like that, but it's good to see you smile. Look, I...I think we should stay away from your house and away from anyone else who might be torn up by your death. You get this look on your face in those places that just screams suffering."

"I'll admit I have regrets, but...," Fern paused, sighing heavily. She didn't know what to say after that. She wasn't necessarily unhappy that she'd killed herself. She was just unhappy that she'd left so many good people behind to suffer in her absence, including Sue Ellen, even if the girl was trying to appear cool to Muffy and her friends.

"I get it," Savanna said, looking over the empty room. "It's really not easy to be in our position. I don't mind making it look easy, but I'm one of those fun-loving people that got stuck. I like it here, and truly, it'd be nice to have someone here with me for a while. I want you to be happy though, so if you want to work things out sooner, so be it. But you've got the darkest aura I've seen since I got here. You've got a lot of unfinished business that can't be tackled in just a few days."

"I see that," Fern nodded. "I still need to figure out why I'm stuck, but...I like it here. I'm just so tired after that tablet," Fern sighed. Savanna smiled, "Well, we can just hang out somewhere. Do you have any place in mind?" Savanna questioned. Fern shook her head, so Savanna gestured her to follow. They went downstairs into the basement music room. Off key notes blared into the hallway, but the girls moved through the wall and into the room anyhow. They sat on an upper level and watched as elementary-aged kids attempted to get through a short piece. The band teacher was getting frustrated with the poor sound quality, and Savanna withheld laughter as he finally stopped the number and broke into a German rant.

Savanna cackled loudly as the man stormed from the room, leaving the kids to exchange hurt glances with each other. Savanna cleared her throat, "It's not just the music that sets him off. He can sense us a little better than most people, so he feels like he's being watched. I went to Germany with my father once and can pick up on the language a little. He knows we're here, but they have no idea. And look!" Savanna pointed, laughing at a small boy sitting pale-faced on the front row. "He's German! His father lives in the same subdivision as the Armstrong's, and he knows what he said! HA!" Savanna cackled, elbowing Fern gently.

"So some people can see us, not just babies?" Fern asked. Savanna nodded, "I hear there's a clairvoyant at the high school that can fully see ghosts. She was almost committed with Elwood City High lost those sisters a few years ago in a car accident and their ghosts wandered the school. They were just making sure their youngest sister was getting on okay because she survived the accident, and since she was fine, they left quickly, but that girl almost lost it. The others talked about her frequently."

"So some people can see us and there are a lot of other ghosts," Fern said to herself. "I never expected this to be true. I've read supernatural fiction before but found it to be very...well, I guess I thought it was stupid, really. I add some flamboyance to my mystery pieces, but that's nothing compared to what's in some of those books."

"I agree with you, but yes, there are plenty of people who can sense us or see us, and there are plenty of spirits stuck here from our age group. Half of this party tonight is going to be ghosts from the area, more than half probably. If you go, you can see this in action. Thankfully, that girl has never been to one of the parties in the area, but she still has some contact with Muffy, is it?" Savanna asked. Fern shrugged and Savanna nodded, "My point is that we should keep away from her because she can't handle her abilities. If we need her one day, we might be able to use her, but people like her are so sensitive. A story like yours would break her heart and mind all at the same time."

Fern looked up as the music teacher returned. The bell rang, so the children began putting away their instruments. The teacher looked around the room, his eyes moving past the girls each time. Savanna grinned and followed the others out of the room with Fern at her side. They moved back to the library to linger in the stacks, Fern's mind on clairvoyance and the possibility of several other ghosts. She moved through the aisles, her fingers scanning titles. She couldn't pick up the books, but her mind was coming up with enough wild ideas to last her all of eternity. She decided she would go with Savanna to the party that night, even with the possibility of seeing Sue Ellen on the table. She needed to know more about her new world so that hopefully she could move on.

Music blared at the Armstrong house. Savanna had them arrive outside the party, and a group of translucent teens greeted them with loud whoops and cheers. Savanna moved to the center of the group while Fern hung back, uncomfortable with this large group of new people, especially ghosts. A few of the guys noticed and approached her, and before she could realize what was happening, Fern was apart of the circle as well.

"Hey guys, meet Fern Walters," Savanna introduced. "She passed a few days ago and showed up at school. She's pretty shy so be nice to her. Josh, stop sticking your arm through her," Savanna smirked. Fern gasped, jumping away as the boy's arm hovered through her translucent body. Josh laughed and high-fived another boy before obeying Savanna's orders and moving to the other side of the circle. "Let's go party!" Savanna cheered, and the group of ghostly teens moved into the house through a wall of windows.

Fern looked around the house awkwardly. People of all ages mingled in the various rooms, but she didn't spot Sue Ellen or her parents anywhere. Fern followed Savanna into a grand dining hall, where the tables had been transformed into a buffet. Wherever glasses had crashed and broken, a ghostly form of them remained, the beverages still inside. Savanna handed Fern a glass and she sipped it eagerly, smiling as they moved into the kitchen.

"Look, Josh didn't mean anything by that move earlier," Savanna grinned. "He likes to harass the newcomers, but he knows to follow my judgment. They all do. I've been here longer than any of them," Savanna said, looking up as a chef approached with a large pan of appetizers. Savanna playfully tripped the man, and a ghost platter formed in her hands. "And I know my way around this place like no one else," she winked, taking a bite of the steaming items. Fern accepted one from the platter as they moved into the taxidermy room. A ghost cat snuggled against their legs as Savanna passed around the platter.

"So, who's looking to score tonight?" Josh asked, high-fiving another boy as they cheered. Savanna smirked, "You boys are so, so sick. Look, I was thinking we should talk a little, help Fern feel more comfortable with her new form. Um...Spencer, tell Fern why being a ghost can be so convenient."

"Why me?" Spencer asked. Savanna threw a piece of food at him and he laughed, "Okay, okay. I died the day before prom but I didn't have a date yet. I was worried the day before that I wouldn't have a date, so I went to the dance. There were so many people there without dates that I felt stupid for worrying so much. Then I met Josh and Savanna, saw how fun being a ghost really way, and here I am," Spencer smiled, high-fiving Josh.

"Okay, stop with all that stupid male bonding," Savanna scoffed. "Spencer, you told the wrong story. I meant the one about your older sister, the one who went missing?" Savanna called. Spencer shrugged and Savanna sighed heavily, "Fine! I'll tell it. Spencer's sister was apart of the Peace Corps, and she went missing in Nigeria a few years ago. He went to find her once he built up his strength. He found her living happily in China. She hadn't called home because they didn't seem to care before she left. He wanted to tell her they did care, but he had no way of doing so, so he just came back home. Well, his new home at Mighty Mountain High," Savanna said, scoffing as the boys cheered. A young couple entered the room holding hands, the boy kissing the girls neck.

But when the girl looked up and saw all the mounted heads on the wall, she lost interest and darted from the room. The boys groaned as the teens disappeared. Savanna dismissed them, and Josh and Spencer immediately rushed out of the room to seek out the young lovers. Savanna scoffed, sipping her drink and looking the room over.

"I'd be disgusted at this room if I didn't know the truth about it," Savanna whispered. Fern gave her a perplexed look as the ghost cat settled in her lap. "Yes, this room is original to the house. The heirs wanted no part of this collection, so they left it here for the new owners as a sort of 'welcome home' gift. The Armstrong's weren't necessarily okay with the addition, and Sue Ellen avoids this room altogether. That's why I wanted to gather here tonight, but I don't think she's making an appearance tonight."

"Why not?" Fern asked. Savanna gave her a knowing look. "Oh, because of me," Fern murmured. "Are you sure that's true? She seemed to mind that I was dead, but our friendship was ending. We were done and she wanted that," Fern sighed. Savanna exhaled, looking the room over, "She knows she's part of this, that she helped you make your decision. She's guilty and wonders if it's her fault that you died. Truly, I'd love to know the same thing, but I know the truth. Your suicide was a bad combination of bad situations. You haven't built up your defenses against depression. You let the monster drag you under."

"Sue Ellen said that about depression, that I was facing my first major time," Fern whispered. "Do you think that's true, that I am depressed for the first time? Why are you laughing?" Fern questioned. She then realized it: "I'm not depressed anymore. I'm just dead," she sighed. "Well, where do I go from here?"

"When you're ready, I hear a bright light appears and you walk through it. But I don't know where the suicides go. Maybe this is your punishment, maybe this is just a starting point," Savanna shrugged, petting the ghost cat. It moved into her lap purring loudly. "All I know is that you're a tough case. You might as well stay here because it's going to be hard, and you might end up worse off. You could end up like that clairvoyant girl and go crazy for all I know. What I do know is that this right here is the life. I'd never been into a house like this until after I died, and judging by the look on your face when we first came here, you'd never been to a place like this either."

"I've been to the Crosswire mansion, but this is-"

"Better," Savanna nodded, "much, much better. I'd enjoy it. I'm a pessimist by nature, and truly, with the pile of problems on your plate, I don't see you getting past this anytime soon. So, let's go back to the party and mingle with the guests," Savanna grinned, "and we'll have a fun time spying on the people who are together who shouldn't be," she winked. Fern smiled, deciding that this would be a fun way to spend her evening. They moved upstairs, and it wasn't long before Savanna found a couple to follow. Fern wasn't interested, so she remained in the corner of the front parlor. A few minutes into her wait, Muffy and Sue Ellen appeared from a coat closet. A boy stepped out a few moments later, then another boy.

Fern was shocked as the girls took out their phones. Fern moved behind them and saw they were making tallies in a note-taking app. Her jaw fell at the number of lines on both pages, and at the top, they titled it "Research Studies." Fern knew that was far from the truth as the boys huddled in the corner, one of them sporting a huge purple hickey on his neck.

"You've gotten better according to...what was his name again?" Muffy asked. Sue Ellen shrugged, moving into the dining hall to get a beverage. "Well, I'm glad we started this. You're ahead of Felicity now and she's a grade-A slut," Muffy winked. Sue Ellen blushed, "I don't see myself that way, Muffy. I'm just having fun," she said. Muffy winked again, "I bet you are."

Fern felt sick to her stomach. Sue Ellen always told Fern how much she cherished her virginity, but as she overhead the boys bragging about their encounter, she quickly realized it was just an act. Sue Ellen had a double life when Fern came along, and the side she shared with Fern was a complete lie.

Fern felt anger rising, and she closed her eyes to try to stop the eruption of emotions. She screamed at the pain as she sank to her knees. She screamed until the pain stopped, and when she opened her eyes, the house was silent aside from murmurs, and every light was off as well. Cellphones lit up a path to the door, a crunchy path covered with broken glass. Fern watched confused as people fled the house, everyone terrified about the experience.

"What the hell happened to you?" Savanna asked. Fern turned around to see the other translucent teens, all of them standing there with concerned expressions. Fern looked back to Savanna with a confused expression. Savanna sighed, "I know, I shouldn't have brought you here again so soon. Let's go back to the school-"

But Fern had collapsed on the ground. Before she could fully fade away, Savanna helped her back to the school gym. She lay Fern in front of the maintenance panel and watched her closely as she lay semi-transparent in a deep, deep sleep.

Fern opened her eyes as a basketball rolled into her hiding nook. Savanna kicked it back onto the floor as a student came into the area looking for it. Savanna rolled her eyes and looked down to Fern as she awakened. A whistle sent the boy back onto the gym floor, leaving the ghost girls alone again.

"What happened? I feel so tired...," Fern murmured. Savanna nodded, handing her a piece of chocolate. "Wait, shouldn't this fall through me?" Fern asked, seeing how translucent her body was. Savanna shook her head and Fern accepted the chocolate. It melted on her tongue, immediately giving her more energy to raise her head. When she was settled, she repeated her first question, "What happened?"

"No one knows, but you blew every light in the house," Savanna smirked. "Even the chandelier in the foyer was shattered. The police are investigating because it was the ambassador's house, but I know the truth. Something set you off last night. I wasn't able to figure out what because I was a little busy at the moment, but I know it involved Sue Ellen."

"How did you...?" Fern began, sighing heavily and rubbing her temple. "I honestly don't remember much about last night. I remember being in the taxidermy room and following you to another part of the house, but everything after that is blank. Is this normal?" Fern asked.

"Well, that depends," Savanna said, swallowing and leaning in closer, "I've seen explosions like that before when dead wives catch their husbands in bed with someone they're really been with for a while, but even that was just a legend. I knew you had some anger within you, but whatever emerged last night...well, I'm concerned for you. I wanted you to be around and be my partner in crime, so to speak, but if you're really that bothered by the world, I should probably get more serious and actually help you. Your funeral is in an hour, for instance, and I've decided that we need to go."

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from the people I care about," Fern whispered, still feeling weak. Savanna shrugged, "Well, last night changed some things. Either we go to your funeral or we get more serious about your past. You need to tell me things, everything you can think of that's relevant to your depression. And I need to tell you what I know to give you peace about your situation," Savanna said. Fern squinted at her. Savanna sighed, "It's about Dr. Hopkins, things you could only know if you saw it for yourself. You won't like it either, so I'd rather work with something else first," Savanna said. Fern nodded as another ball flew into the area. Savanna angrily threw it back out the way it came in, nearly hitting the same kid from before. Savanna groaned and looked Fern over, "Your choice, kid: Funeral or some deep conversation neither of us are going to be comfortable with."

"I think I should go to my funeral to see who actually still cared about me," Fern whispered. Savanna nodded and extended her hand. A moment later, the scene flashed, and Fern found herself in a local funeral parlor filled with people. Among them were people from her past, family members she'd rarely seen, and, in a far corner of the room, her Lakewood friends. Arthur and Francine stood tucked into the corner as George and Brain sat on a couch beside them. They were all staring awkwardly at the floor as Jenna approached with Sue Ellen on her heels.

"I finally found her," Jenna sighed, stepping out of everyone's line of sight. Arthur gave an awkward wave to Sue Ellen, who smiled gently and blushed a little. George's eyes remained on the floor, but Brain and Francine looked to her without moving or speaking. "Well, we were wondering what you could tell us. I mean, you don't have to tell us here-"

"I don't know anything," Sue Ellen whispered. "I was with Muffy at home when the story came on the news. That's how I found out. That's how a lot of people found out," Sue Ellen murmured, looking across the room to Fern's father. He was bouncing baby Charlie on his knees with a blank expression. Fern's mother was nearby, swooning as she walked towards a beverage table. Fern sighed to herself and looked back to her old friends. Sue Ellen was looking them over too, "I'm surprised some of you showed up."

"Well, we kind of had no choice," Francine said darkly. "My mother forced me to go out of respect. She's over there making sure I don't skip out," Francine gestured. Beside her was Jane, Arthur's mother, their eyes locked on their teenaged children. "I don't know how this is respectful. It's not like she was respectful to us."

"She told me it was an honest mistake, a problem with her hard drive," Sue Ellen tried, but Francine scoffed and crossed her arms, "Yeah, and it was an accident when she fell off that overpass. We all know what she did. She always thought things out. That's why her stories were so good...well, until she posted _that_!"

"Do you mind telling me what they're talking about?" Savanna whispered to Fern. Fern brushed her away as Brain kicked at the rug. Sue Ellen noticed and turned to him, "And what are you two doing here? I thought you were duel enrolled in Elwood City University this semester," Sue Ellen said. Brain gestured his head towards Arthur and Francine, "My parents felt this was an obligatory commitment to someone I spent my childhood with, but I agree with the two of them...in some ways. I understand that Fern's ongoing battle with technology caused her little mishap, but I have yet to forgive her for the way she thought about me. I am, however, sorry about her death, but this is merely filial piety."

"English, Brain," Francine growled, rolling her eyes when Brain shook his head. "I swear, so many people have gotten weird because of this. Binky refused to come because he was too upset, but then again, he's about the only one she didn't slam into oblivion. I lost my spot on a key team because of her!" Francine exclaimed. Across the room, Laverne stood and glared in her daughter's direction. Francine blushed and plopped herself down between Brain and George on the couch, "I'm sick of this! Why do we always have to think so kindly of the dead? My grandmother had a heckler at her funeral, and I know for a fact she would've loved that if she'd been there!"

"I doubt that," Savanna grinned. Fern looked to her. "What? I had a heckler at my mock funeral and I almost did what you pulled off last night," Savanna smirked. She patted Fern's shoulder, "This is supposed to be difficult, by the way. I was just trying to lighten the mood-"

"I deserve this, all of it," Fern whispered. Savanna exhaled slowly and slid her arm off Fern's shoulder, "I know you probably do, but it's hard to hear the truth, even if it does need to be said. Didn't you have more people from this group? I've seen them come together before."

"When Principal Haney passed away, we got together again. Well, they did. Sue Ellen and I sat alone at the back of the chapel's reserved rows. That kept people from glaring at me during the services, but a few didn't want me to be there. Surprisingly, Francine's mother advocated against my attendance. I wonder why she's forcing Francine to be here now," Fern murmured, leaving her former classmates and heading towards their mothers. She arrived just in time.

"You know, Jane, the only reason I'm here is because her mother looks like a train wreck waiting to happen," Laverne whispered, looking around with confidence. She didn't know Fern was listening beside her, but her arms tingled as Savanna moved closer. "These places give me the creeps, but you know what? It'll be worth it if she pulls a good stunt," Laverne winked, showing Jane a camera she had hidden underneath her coat.

"Who the hell does she think she is?" Savanna asked coldly. Fern shook her head. She knew Francine's parents must be interesting people to have such a headstrong daughter, but she didn't know the woman could be downright cruel. "I'll fix her, or would you like to do it?" Savanna smirked. Fern followed Savanna's gaze to Laverne's lap and the camera. "Touch it and think about fire. The electricity within the battery will obey your whim, if you're interested in such an action."

"Look at her, Jane, she's drunk!" Laverne laughed, hiding her smile with her hand. Jane looked but her expression was more out of pity than entertainment. Fern felt herself move towards Laverne's lap, and a moment later, she pictured an all-out inferno as she touched the camera. Smoke billowed from Laverne's lap, making her scream as she flung her jacket and camera onto the floor. A few men, both of them large in more ways than one, stomped on the burning jacket, cracking the camera into dozens of pieces.

"That never gets old," Savanna grinned as the reverend approached. Visiting members moved into the chapel as Fern's parents and family members gathered around the casket. It was closed, and Fern felt herself wondering what her body must look like after her fall. Savanna noticed her expression and put her hand on Fern's shoulder, making her jump. "Don't think about that ever, okay? Don't do that to yourself," she demanded. Fern nodded, watching as her father held her mother up beside the casket. The reverend muttered a prayer, and a moment later, the group filed into the chapel.

Fern and Savanna moved to the ceiling rafters. Fern noticed that Francine was texting, so she floated down and touched the phone, causing it to ring out loudly. Glares moved onto the girl's bright red face, and her mother slapped the phone into her purse. If it weren't for the noise, Fern knew she wouldn't have said anything. She looked over the woman and noticed her own phone was in her purse. After a few minutes, Fern touched the phone to make it sound. She continued to touch it even as Laverne tried to stop the noise, causing Savanna to cackle loudly above them as everyone glared in her direction. When Fern was satisfied with the result—a blushing Laverne and a pale Francine—she ended her game and returned to Savanna's side.

The ceremony felt cold to Fern, who found herself staring at the casket. At Principal Haney's funeral, flowers littered the room, many of them remaining outside in a storage truck for the trip to the cemetery afterward. Fern noticed half of the flowers arranged around the room were actually plastic flowers from various parts of the funeral home. She felt her heart sink as she looked over the room. Only her mother was weeping uncontrollably. Her father simply stared at the floor while his wife and son sat beside them, both sharing a bored expression. Fern wondered if anyone other than her parents cared that she was gone, and her eyes searched the crowd. Sue Ellen was the only one of the Lakewood group following the reverend as he moved around the front of the room. Everyone else was staring at the walls or the floor, whatever was closer.

A few pews down, Dr. Hopkins sat with his wife and adult daughter, a teaching assistant Fern had met the previous year when she returned to Elwood City after college. The family was also watching the reverend with a solemn expression, the three of them listening intently as he preached. Fern wondered how they felt about her as the doors opened below. Savanna looked and saw the girl first. She elbowed Fern and forced her to look forward by elbowing her again.

"What? Who just came in?" Fern questioned, whispering even though no one but Savanna could hear her. Savanna shook her head, "You don't need to know. Focus on whatever it is you were doing before. Listen to the preaching or something," Savanna suggested, exhaling slowly as Fern faced forward again.

Savanna looked down and examined the girl. The short blonde had a devious smile on her face as she looked to the paper announcement she'd snatched off a nearby table. Savanna immediately recognized her as Margie Barber, and a moment later, her father stepped into the room and took a seat next to her. Savanna elbowed Fern a final time to keep her gaze forward, her expression grim. Fern found it hard to ignore as the room bowed their heads in prayer. Fern watched as many ignored him, using the moment to blatantly stare at the floor. She sighed and turned to Savanna. She nodded to Fern, realizing the girl wanted to leave. She touched her shoulder and they found themselves in the school's clock tower. behind the glass face.

"Who were you watching at the service?" Fern asked firmly. Savanna sighed heavily, "Margie," she whispered. Fern nodded, moving to the clock face. "What? Why are you nodding about that? You realize now what I was doing?" Savanna asked. Fern nodded again. "See, I want to look out for you, but it's difficult. And...I guess I should let you see her, let you deal with your frustrations. I don't know what to do about you, but truly, I want you to tell me why your old classmates hate you. Maybe that has something to do with how you feel now. Weren't you going to lose your place on the journalism staff, thus losing your scholarship?"

"Yes, and then I'd have to go to school with them again. But that's not the only reason I did it," Fern said, turning around to look at Savanna. "I had multiple reasons, a compounding pile of reasons. It needed to be done, looking back. No one wants me here anyway."

"I doubt that's true, Fern," Savanna sighed, but she knew why the girl was saying such a cold statement. No one seemed truly interested at her funeral. It was the first young person funeral Savanna had witnessed where the teens didn't sit there with sick looks on their faces or try to get out of the chapel with poor excuses. Normally they didn't want to be there because they didn't know how to handle death. Not only did Fern's classmates not try to get out of the ceremony, they looked okay with her death. They looked as if they really did want her to die. "Fern, you can take today to yourself, but you need to tell me everything you can. Can you do that for me tomorrow?"

"You already heard. I published something I shouldn't have, something that hurt the people that once cared about me. I ruined everything, and coming here did nothing to help me. Sue Ellen was a fake. The only two people that cared about me in the world are now completely separate," Fern said quickly, looking to Savanna with a sad expression. "Everything we had in those days is now gone, but really, it's my fault. I regret everything I ever did, and...I just want to go back to the days when everything was simple and I didn't make my stupid mistake...and my friends actually cared whether I lived or died."

"Do you still care about them?" Savanna asked. Fern thought for a moment. During the night, she still had visions of Sue Ellen being friendly, sitting with her in the library and having their usual conversation. She still pictured her as the caring person she was in the beginning, before Fern found out the truth. Fern looked up to Savanna and shrugged. "Well, whether you do or not, now is your chance to prove to the universe that you care even if they aren't returning the favor. Let your power build, and one day, you could protect them."

Fern sighed heavily and walked towards the stairs leading down into the school, "I'm sorry, Savanna, but I don't think they want my protection. I don't think they wanted me to exist in the first place, so, ghost or not, I'm just here. I'm glad we get to have fun sometimes, but I almost wish I was just gone. It'd be easier then."

As Fern disappeared, Savanna couldn't help but agree with her. Things were easier when death was immediate, when it invited you in without making you work out the details first. But Fern's death was her decision, and Death needed time to catch up on the facts. She would have to work through them, but Savanna knew it was too soon. It was simply too soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Savanna was sitting alone in the library. It was well after midnight and the only lights on within the building were the ones behind her. She felt a presence and looked up. Savanna smirked lightly and closed the magazine she was reading. A red-haired girl sat across from her, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands.

"I'll be honest, Catherine, I was wondering when you were going to surface again," Savanna smiled. Catherine cocked her shoulder, "I could sense our newcomer from my location. I followed Daddy to France this time, but he's not being as devious as before. Our newcomer, however, very devious. I heard about her through a pair of French clairvoyants working in the city. What in the world did that girl do?"

"She essentially blew up an ambassador's mansion," Savanna smirked. "I thought she was ready to attend a party there, but she wasn't. I really want to help her, so no games with this one," Savanna warned. Catherine laughed a single note and leaned back in her chair. "Cathy, I'm serious. She's very troubled and really needs our help."

"If she isn't willing to play our games, then she doesn't belong here. I'm out of the soul business, Savanna, and truly, I thought you were as well. If they aren't simple and if they can't be broken, I'm not interested. She can apparently be broken, but you're protecting her? That's so out of character for you," Catherine grinned, stirring her drink. "Whatever happened to that dark side of you? You used to swim in people's dirty little secrets, go skydiving in scandals," Catherine moaned, her smile so bright her cheeks looked deformed. "Tell me, what's so damn special about this girl that you have to protect her from our usual business?"

"She has enough secrets and scandals to keep us going for years," Savanna admitted. "I don't even think we can help her. She's a suicide with a long list of problems, and honestly, I don't think we can solve them. But I want to try, and yes, I want to know her secrets. She went to school in the Lakewood District before coming here. I was hoping you could do some spying for me while I work on her from here."

"The Lakewood District? Prunella is still at Elwood City High, and I'm too powerful to be there without setting her off," Catherine glared, hissing through gritted teeth. Savanna shrugged. "What? I thought you were afraid of her just like I am! She can banish us if she gets help, and judging by the look of her kooky family, it won't take much recruiting!"

"She's harmless if you just stay with the people I have in mind," Savanna said, extending her hand. Catherine grunted and rolled her eyes as she placed her hand on top of Savanna's. The vision of Arthur, Francine, Brain, George, and Jenna filled Catherine's mind. Catherine pulled away and looked Savanna over. "I'm serious about this, Cathy. No games. Just find out what exactly happened with these people so I can help this girl."

"What do you know about her so far? Family drama? Lost scholarship?" Catherine asked, her smile fading as Savanna nodded to each. "And she's involved with a possible schoolyard scandal?" Catherine asked in a low whisper. Savanna nodded. "Okay, you're persuading me. Love interests?"

"Apparently the afternoon before she committed suicide, she was talking to a best friend of hers and they almost kissed. The friend rejected her advances, and this same friend was trying to part ways with her. As for other love interests, I'm not sure. The antler boy seemed like the only kid truly disturbed at her funeral. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Only her parents were torn up about it. Even Hopkins didn't look too bothered by her passing."

"Hopkins? The guy who cried when you broke his coffee mug?" Catherine asked with a wide grin forming on her face. Savanna rolled her eyes, "I've told you a million times that he did that himself. Was it a little too close to the edge? Yes, but I forgot he used that door occasionally," Savanna sighed. "Are you happy with this or do I need to find someone else?"

Catherine smiled again and stood up, triggering another motion sensor and turning on more lights, "You know I don't mind being your partner in crime. I want to meet her though, but maybe when I'm done getting dirt. Is she a devious person or did these things just befall her?" Catherine asked. Savanna gave her a solemn look. "Wow, no wonder she decided to check out. Method?"

"She jumped, but someone hit her before she reached the bottom. She was screaming when she got here, the worst screeching I've ever heard," Savanna whispered. "She knows what happened to her, but I've tried to get her to suppress the memories. When she goes into her flashbacks, she completely disappears. I've never seen anything like it."

"No wonder she blew up that mansion," Catherine frowned, picking her drink up off the table. Hallway lights flickered on as a security guard walked past. He gave the lights a funny look and unlocked the library to take a look inside. Catherine and Savanna grinned to each other as they darted into the stacks. When he was in the room and looking as perplexed as possible, the girls knocked entire shelves of books onto the floor. The security guard whined like a small child and darted from the room. He locked the library doors, after dropping his keys twice, and darted past the windows without a second glance. Catherine nodded to Savanna before closing her eyes and fading away. Savanna moved back to Fern's location to make sure she was safe.

Catherine looked over Elwood City High with contempt. She was a prep school girl, her father's money getting her into the best schools no matter where she traveled in the world. In Elwood City, Rosewood Academy was her home, the public schools never crossing her mind until after her untimely death. It was an accident, but unfinished business with an ex-boyfriend kept her grounded. She met Savanna and concocted trouble with her on a regular basis until her father returned to town. Then she followed him around the world for a while, trying to live the high life again. After sensing Fern's power, she knew she had to come back, but she never thought she'd end up within the smelly halls of a public high school.

"Buster, wait up!" a tall boy with glasses called. Catherine glared as the prick ran through her, nearly rushing into another classmate as he approached a shorter boy with tall ears. Catherine grimaced; his shirt was covered with the remains of the school's disgusting breakfast pizza, but that was the point of the glasses boy's rushing, "Here's my extra gym shirt. We have to hurry though," the boy said.

"I know, Arthur, I know. Bionic Bunny Infinity starts this afternoon and we have to finish our homework first. I get it," Buster sighed, ducking into the boys' bathroom. Catherine remained in the hall, her eyes peeled for anyone else in Savanna's vision. She'd found the aardvark, Arthur. Now she had her eyes peeled for the others. As the bell rang, a pile of boys left the restroom ahead of Arthur and Buster, including antler boy. Catherine hovered over him, watching as people dove out of his path. Catherine grinned as people gave him dirty looks: Whoever this kid was, he was probably the most awkward teenager Catherine had ever seen.

"Move it, George, we've got to get to class!" Arthur called, pushing the boy forward. They almost fell into their destination classroom, and once they'd cleared the doorway, Catherine floated into the room. She looked carefully to make sure Prunella was nowhere to be found before settling onto a filing cabinet at the back of the room. The teacher, a bored math teacher Catherine had played with before, copied equations on the board as a basket floated around the room. Crinkled homework sheets fell into the plastic bin as it circled the room.

Catherine watched as Arthur and Buster chatted through their warm-up exercises. The awkward boy with antlers sat on the front row squinting to see the equations. He was the only one without a partner, Catherine noticed, and she hovered to the front of the room as the teacher began to speak with him.

"Your father's wardrobe got plenty of praise from my in-laws, George. You'll have to thank him again when you get a chance," the teacher smiled. George nodded, looking up to the equations with squinted eyes. "I see you've yet to take my advice, George. You need to see an eye doctor before you do permanent damage to your eyes. I told you my doctor is fairly cheap-"

"I have an appointment this afternoon. I had to reschedule because of Fern's funeral," George whispered, nearly choking on Fern's name. The teacher nodded solemnly, "Yes, yes, I heard about that in the local paper. She was supposed to go here, I've heard, but I never got the opportunity to teach her. I wish I had. I might've made a difference in her troubled life."

Catherine laughed, turning on the man's overhead projector and making him blush. He was always trying to help out the souls of Elwood City, but Catherine knew he rarely made much difference. One of his prodigies, Rattles Cicone, went from top of his class to top of his unit at the local penitentiary after committing a string of robberies. Catherine had enjoyed playing with him at parties, knocking his hat off during make out sessions to make him mad at the girls. He never took it off, not even during tender moments, and Catherine enjoyed committing such a dark deed. When she heard about his robberies through her father's butler, she laughed at the math teacher's expense: He was always saving souls, but he always chose the wrong people to attempt to save.

Seeing that the class was going nowhere fast, Catherine decided to leave the man for further playing. She moved into an adjacent classroom and found the brunette girl and the cat girl sitting together at the back of the room. Catherine settled beside them, making the hairs on the cat girl's arms stand up.

"Francine, can I borrow your jacket? I'm freezing all of the sudden!" the girl whispered. The brunette obliged, "Here you go, Jenna. I'm a little cold myself, but it's probably that stupid vent again," she murmured, looking up as the teacher changed the slide. She was a bored young woman that Catherine had never met, but she knew these two girls were more important. She looked down as Francine passed a note to Jenna: 'Do we have volleyball practice this afternoon?' Jenna nodded after reading it and Francine sighed. "I wish I could use another funeral as an excuse," she smirked. Jenna withheld a snicker as Catherine shivered at the coldness of Francine's words.

At the front of the room, the teacher noticed their giggling. Catherine covered for them, causing half the lights in the room to flip on and off. The teacher glared at the innocent bystander sitting beside the switch, who held his hands up to prove it wasn't him. Catherine stopped flickering the lights, causing the teacher to glare at her students. They watched her with boredom as she moved to the next slide.

"This jacket isn't helping much," Jenna shivered, sinking into her desk as she took notes. Catherine smiled and moved through the wall and into the next room, putting her right behind the notorious Prunella. She wore all black, her neck blanketed in various necklaces and charms. She shrieked with Catherine appeared. Catherine sighed and went back to Rosewood Academy, appearing on the football field as a gym class ran laps.

"When did you get back in town?" a male voice called. He ran up in a football uniform that was dirty and faded from wear. Catherine smiled to him, accepting a hug despite the sweaty smell flowing from him, "I heard about the new girl. Were you at the party with her?" Catherine asked. He shook his head. "Well, I'll pass off the story to you later after we catch up a little," she winked, pulling him towards the bleachers with no resistance.

"I'm not telling you anything today," Fern whispered. She'd dreamed of Sue Ellen the night before, dreamed of a costume sleepover they did in the ninth grade. It was just the two of them and Sue Ellen dressed up as Indian Jonesy while Fern dressed as her favorite movie character of the year, Martha MacGuinness. They spent the night watching their favorite movies and devouring popcorn. Looking back, Sue Ellen was too feminine for her costume while Fern was too masculine, and the dream seemed to focus on glances at Sue Ellen's curvy figure. Remembering the dream made her blush and feel sick at the same time. Why was she still dreaming about a person that seemed to hate her?

"That's fine," Savanna whispered, wondering why Fern was blushing while her face read such pain. "I wanted to tell you that a friend of mine came back into town, a ghost friend. She's the daughter of a board member that died in a little accident a few years ago. She follows him around the world, but...apparently people sensed your outburst all over the world. Cool, huh?" Savanna asked nervously. Fern shook her head; she was still exhausted from that night. "Well, I've asked her to look into Elwood City High for me to get details. I'd like to hear from you, but if I can't do that, I want to know from them, or at least what they think of you or something. I don't know what she'll find."

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Why don't you just wait for me to tell you? I just need time," Fern sighed, curling up her legs and staring out the window. Savanna sighed and sat down next to her. The cafeteria was starting to fill up as the first lunch bell rang. The room was about to get very busy, and Savanna tried to persuade Fern to follow her to a quieter area. Before she could, Catherine approached, slinging blades of grass out of her long, red hair. She smiled and sat beside them.

"You devil!" Savanna exclaimed, wiping some mud from her shoulder. "You just couldn't leave him be. I told you to-" she started, but Catherine held up her hand, "I may've set off a particular clairvoyant, and I may or may not have left early because of it," Catherine grinned. She looked to Fern and extended her hand, "I'm Catherine, by the way. You must be Fern," she said. Fern nodded, weakly shaking her hand. "Savanna, I was doing my job before this, but yes, I couldn't leave him be. Now, onto this. What the hell did you do to those cold people? They're wishing for more funerals to get out of practices!"

"That must've been Francine," Fern murmured. Catherine nodded. "Well, she has the right to her opinion," Fern shrugged. Catherine and Savanna exchanged glances as Fern stared out the window. Before they could speak, Fern added, "I'm not up for talking about it today. If you're so willing to spy on me, then you both much be smart enough to find the evidence for yourselves."

"Fine, we'll go look then," Catherine said, pulling Savanna to another part of the cafeteria. "What the hell did she do? Those people can't stand her, and the hatred runs _deep_," Catherine hissed. Savanna shrugged and shook a table to clear people from it. Catherine and Savanna took seats where they could look onto Fern. Catherine sighed as she saw her, "You're right that she's a troubled case, and I won't play games with her, but come on, Savanna. We've never dealt with something like this. These people almost wanted her to die."

"I doubt that, but her death is rather convenient for some of these people. Remember Margie?" Savanna asked. Catherine's eyes grew wide. "Yes, not only is she back, that's who took her spot on the paper. She was here on a journalism scholarship, but not only did Margie take her place, she got published in the actual local newspaper, which is against the rules for scholarship students. She's only here because of her grandfather, but I know for a fact she and Dr. Hopkins are interested in more than just journalism."

"Oh my god, he's doing it _again_?!" Catherine exclaimed. Savanna nodded solemnly, "And like always, the most unattractive girl loses out because he wants nothing from her. I saw her in a classroom not long before she passed. She was sobbing, and I knew it was because he'd told her she wasn't good enough in his own little way. A new prodigy was coming and she was a has-been, except unlike last time, this girl couldn't handle the pressure. Her family has problems, her old classmates hate her, and her best friend rejected her advances. She had more than enough reasons to go, so I'm not sure why she's here. Maybe she does want to figure things out. Either way, she's still in love with that girl. She sleeps at night and the dreams reach me sometimes."

"Well that's kinky," Catherine smirked. Savanna rolled her eyes but there was a distinct smirk on her lips. "I wish you would've told me this sooner, but...it doesn't matter. We need to persuade her to talk or to get revenge or to _something_. Sulking never helped anyone, and look at her. She's a time bomb from what those clairvoyants said. My French is pretty bad too," Catherine added, looking to Savanna. She had a concerned expression on her face as she watched Fern stare out the window. "Why do you care about her so much? Is it because of the romantic interest falling to pieces?"

"It's more than that," Savanna whispered. Catherine nodded to show she was listening. "She's a lot like me, Cathy. I used to be quiet like her, hurt like her. I had so many reasons to go. That's why I went with him, why I didn't mind what he did. I never expected the death blow or for him to hide my body, but I almost wanted something like that to happen. I had days just like her, days of endless pain and heartache. When I was living, I couldn't share my thoughts with anyone, and what my parents did to me was normal behavior. If my body was found today and still had organs, you'd find my stomach empty, my body smaller than need be. I'm bigger as a ghost than as a real girl," Savanna whispered, wiping away a small tear from her eye. "I'm glad she gets a real funeral, but we both need saving. We both need so much saving."

"I'll go back to Elwood City High if you'd like, but Prunella did notice me," Catherine whispered. Savanna nodded, "Go. See if anyone there actually liked her, if anyone may've cared," Savanna whispered. Catherine smiled. "You already found someone like that?" Savanna asked. Catherine nodded. "Well, which one?"

"George, the antler kid," Catherine replied. "He's a troubled boy, not many friends. I think he was spared by whatever she did, but other than that, he cared about her. Don't tell her until I know for sure. He might be grieving her loss and suppressing his true feelings. But in my heart, I feel like he will be one of the good ones," Catherine said. Savanna nodded and watched her disappear before looking back on Fern. They remained in their spots through all three lunch blocks, and when the final group departed, they remained there once more.

It was late when Catherine returned. Fern and Savanna were in the library, where Savanna lay on a table flipping through a magazine while Fern walked through the aisles. Catherine shuddered as she tapped Savanna's shoulder and asked if she'd go for a walk with her. Savanna obliged, and they soon found themselves outside the school.

"What in the world are we doing out here?" Savanna asked. Catherine smiled lightly, "I got there about the time Prunella got out of the counselor's office. She didn't want to talk to me in front of everyone, so I asked her to meet us here. Don't give me that look, Savanna, we could use her," Catherine sighed, looking up as Prunella approached. She parked her bike against the far side of the building and approached the apparitions, her black outfit trailing behind her in the light evening breeze.

"I know both of you," Prunella said coldly, turning to the ginger-haired Catherine. "What was so important that I had to come all the way out here? I had to lie to my mother to pull this off, and ever since this all started, I've hated lying to her."

"This is important. You went to Lakewood Elementary, right, and Grebe Middle School as well?" Catherine asked. Prunella sighed heavily, "If this is about Fern Walters, I haven't seen her. Why do you things keep bothering me? I just want to be left alone!" Prunella exclaimed, pulling out a relic. Neither ghost flinched; if it were a true relic, they would be able to feel its effects, but neither girl felt anything out of the ordinary. "Damn knockoffs!" Prunella hissed. "Fine, fine, what do you want to know about her? I barely remember her, but I might be able to help."

"She's here, but we haven't been able to do much for her. She's very troubled," Savanna began. She was about to say more when Fern emerged from the building. Prunella gasped loudly, "She's the one who created the shock wave!" Savanna sighed heavily, "Yes, yes she did, but that's not why...Catherine asked you here," Savanna murmured, giving Catherine a dirty look. Catherine sighed and stepped between Prunella and Fern. Prunella pushed the ghost away.

"You've upset the order of things at the high school. People are so angry, so black and red and blurred," Prunella said. Catherine nodded to herself; _that_ was why they never had much to do with her before. Fern gave Prunella a perplexed look as Savanna sighed heavily behind her. "Don't act like I'm crazy! You're all dead! You're the crazy ones!"

"That's not why I'm sighing, Prunella," Savanna sighed again, running her fingers through her hair. "We can't understand you when you start speaking in colors and describing things we can't understand. Besides, Fern has enough problems. Telling her she's upset the entire school's order could only upset her more...maybe."

"Fern, do you even give a rat's ass about Elwood City High?" Catherine asked coldly. Fern was frozen, her face growing pale. Savanna groaned loudly, "This is ridiculous! All of this is just messed up! I'm going to the ambassador's house to see what kind of partying is going on tonight-"

"I wouldn't do that," Prunella warned. "The house is still damaged, and when the police couldn't find a probably cause for the explosion, Mrs. Armstrong demanded we give her relics. She has more money than sense, that woman. She likely got a hold of better relics than I have...I'm assuming. Look, my point is that the place might be dangerous now. She mentioned that Sue Ellen has had nightmares or something since Fern died. We couldn't do much for her, and now that you've showed up, the school is going to want me to go on medication again. My mother's happy for once, but what if I didn't want her to be happy? What if I want to be an embodiment of disappointment?"

"Look, it's not our problem that you don't embrace your abilities," Savanna hissed, looking up to the sky. "It's going to rain tonight. You should go home and forget about things until we need you again, _if_ we need you again," Savanna said darkly. Catherine looked at everyone and exhaled slowly, "Okay, okay, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have gotten her into this, but I shouldn't have been at that school in the first place. If we want to know what's going on, we should ask Fern herself. Since she's so damn quiet about everything, why don't we go find a party? I hear the Crosswire's are out of town-"

"Oh, shut it with the parties!" Prunella exclaimed. "Fern, I see you trying to hide over there. If you don't tell them why your classmates have turned on you, I will," Prunella warned. Fern bit her lip and shook her head. "What? You're not going to speak?" Prunella called. She sighed heavily, "Her class always had problems like this, always pulling and prodding each other into new orders. Muffy was normally the catalyst, but once she left for Rosewood Academy, I guess someone else had to take her place.

"Enter Fern, the journalist that used to be the greatest Grebe Middle had ever seen. She even got an interview with the lunchroom ladies because they knew her story about food quality wouldn't be a slam against them," Prunella smiled, watching as Fern squirmed. "One last chance to tell them yourself," Prunella warned. Fern hung her head, "You tell them. It'll be easier."

Savanna stepped forward, "No, it's not easier. Prunella, stop. She can tell us on her own," Savanna demanded, stepping to Fern's side. Catherine remained next to Prunella, "I disagree," she countered. "I don't want to wait all of eternity for this mystery to get solved, okay? We used to have fun, pull pranks, go to parties—all the fun things we couldn't necessarily do when we were apart of the living. I'm not giving that up now because some girl with problems came along. You can leave with her if you don't want to hear, but Prunella is going to tell me, then we're going to find something better to do with ourselves."

"Prunella!" a voice called. Catherine groaned, "Shit, your mom's here!" she cried, disappearing. Savanna touched Fern's shoulder, sending them into the clock tower, where Catherine quickly found them. They looked down to see Prunella's mother and older sister loading her bicycle into the car. Prunella was arguing with them, but they were too busy looking around to truly listen to her.

When they were gone, Catherine stepped away from the clock face and looked to Savanna and Fern, "I thought there would be more to this. There's so much dancing, too much dancing. I'll be back in a few weeks when my father comes back into town. If she's still here and tight-lipped, we're done, Savanna. I only stayed behind to have some fun in this world, maybe do shit to my dad to make him realize he's not the only living creature in this world. I didn't stay here to solve someone else's unfixable problems," Catherine spat, fading from view.

"Am I really that much of a burden?" Fern asked solemnly. Lightning flickered outside, sending a blinding flash through the room. Savanna sighed, "I don't think so. I think you need someone like us after a life like yours. I want to help you, but I guess I went about things the wrong way. I'm glad I know a little more about your former classmates, but maybe the next time I get curious, I should go to you for answers. You have to be willing to provide them, not just for me, but for yourself as well. Are you willing to do that?"

"I don't know yet," Fern admitted. "I...I feel more lost than before. I don't understand my thoughts, my dreams..., my nightmares," Fern stammered, looking up to Savanna as lightning flashed again. "I don't know why everything happened the way it did with my personal life. I understand this school is crooked now, that I never should've trusted Dr. Hopkins or anyone else here. I should've stayed with my peers and worked things out. Then I wouldn't have these thoughts for Sue Ellen, she wouldn't have betrayed me by living a double life, and your friend wouldn't be so mad at you either. I truly am a burden, and you knowing more about me won't fix that. In fact, I think knowing more about me will only make you feel worse."

"You won't know that until you actually share something with me. Tell me about your thoughts for Sue Ellen, about your dreams and nightmares, and, most of all, tell me why so many people hate you for something that didn't seem to be your fault," Savanna pleaded. Fern shook her head, "The only thing I'm willing to tell you tonight is that you're on your own. I think I'll go walk around the city for a while to clear my head," Fern whispered, descending the stairs as a heavy rain started to fall. Savanna thought of stopping her because of how dangerous the world seemed, her mind flickering to memories of the night she was murdered.

But Fern was already dead, and a little lightning never hurt a ghost before. She watched Fern leave the grounds and begin the long walk towards home, her heart heavy as she tried to decide what to do. In a moment of clarity as thunder ripped through the school, Savanna moved into the library and turned on a computer inside the head librarian's office. She began a search for old issues of the school newspaper at Grebe Middle School. She sighed heavily as the truth unfolded before her. A loss of power stopped her search before she could learn everything, but she knew enough to understand exactly why Fern's friends stopped believing in her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Fern was sitting in front of the clock face when Savanna found her. It was the next morning and the school grounds glistened after the storm. Students began to pour in below, as well as parents for a morning assembly. Savanna exhaled as she sat next to Fern. Whether Fern was interested or not, her past was about to come out. She tapped Fern's shoulder but the girl shook her off.

"I thought about things when I was walking around Elwood City. I saw things I never noticed before, people being who they were, and I didn't feel bad for watching them for the first time. I want to continue that, but as you all have suggested, I need to air out my dirty memories. I need to finally share with someone the full details of what happened at Grebe Middle School with my article," Fern sighed.

As she exhaled, the scene changed, taking Fern and Savanna with it. When the girls opened their eyes, they were in a small computer lab next to the journalism room. A younger Fern was sitting at a computer banging on the tower. She groaned loudly and stared at the machine, wondering why, yet again, technology was failing her.

"Fern, I'm glad I caught you," the English professor called. Mr. Monty was the editor in chief of the middle school paper, as well as Fern's boss. He tapped his watch as he stood next to her, "Having trouble submitting again? Well, you said the public library worked well for you. I have to take off for an appointment, so here's the submission password. As long as you don't change a thing, you can post it without approval," Mr. Monty said, passing her a green Post-It note with the password written down.

Fern nodded and gathered her things. She rode her bike to the public library, narrowly missing a skateboarding Molly as she flew through the streets. Ghosts Fern and Savanna hovered above the scene as if they were on an imaginary platform, but they returned to ground level when they reached the public building. Ghost Fern led the way inside, following her younger self by memory to the computer room. She and Savanna stood behind young Fern as she logged onto the computer and placed a zip drive into one of the slots.

"What is this?!" Fern cried. Her files had all been renamed to lines of code, a problem she'd never before. Ghost Fern looked away as her younger self began previewing every document to find the right story. When she thought she had the right one in the pane, she double clicked it, sending it directly to the website where the school paper was published. She entered the password and watched her document upload.

Young Fern had an eager expression, but Ghost Fern had an expression of pure sickness. Savanna watched as the scandal she read about unfolded. Fern hadn't picked the right document. The start was the same, but Fern had begun a free write session after reading a bad social media post bullying her classmate George. She slammed everyone: Arthur, Buster, Francine, Jenna—none of her classmates were safe from her because they were all a part of the problem.

Young Fern left the library, and the scene flickered to the next morning inside the principal's office at Grebe Middle School. Fern's parents were there, together but standing separately, and a guilty-looking Fern sat between them. Students and parents alike were furious with how blunt she was about everyone's judgmental behavior, and they demanded she recant the story and step away from her position on the paper. Young Fern refused as Ghost Fern watched with a blank stare.

"Mr. Monty and Dr. Hopkins are friends," Savanna whispered. Ghost Fern nodded solemnly as the meeting disbursed. In a hallway nearby, the Walters met up with Mr. Monty, who introduced them to the Rosewood Academy and its journalism scholarship. He would provide the necessary information to Dr. Hopkins, who could easily get her accepted. She could continue writing and put this nasty mess behind them. Fern knew she had no choice but to accept, and she left her story up to prove her point that the story was serious. Mr. Monty didn't agree, along with everyone else, but Young Fern had no regrets about her actions.

The scene flashed to Young Fern at her locker on the final day of school. Tons of hate letters tumbled out, as did a months overdue library book and several other nasty treats. Fern held back tears as she dumped everything into a large garbage can provided by one of the school janitors.

As the memory faded, the girls returned to their original positions inside the clock tower. Fern sighed heavily, "Now you know exactly what happened. The story was forcefully removed a few months after I left because I was formally enrolled here at the academy, but people never forgave me. I never forgave myself either. We were so close when we were at Lakewood Elementary together, when we had Mr. Ratburn and all was well. As soon as we left his room, we went our separate ways, some of us literally. We turned into monsters, and I'm just like those monsters. I'm not as horrible as Muffy, but I might as well be, and in the eyes of some of my peers, I am worse than her and always will be."

"I'll be honest," Savanna murmured, swallowing as she knelt beside her, "I read up on the situation last night in case you decided not to tell me. I truly see this as a complete misunderstanding. Technology caused the error, not you, but you were forced to mishandle the situation by a couple of English teachers who thought they knew better than their own principal. You have to admit both of them like going over people's heads," Savanna smiled. Fern nodded solemnly. "You could've recanted, and now that you can control technology, I think I know how you can fix that, but it won't change anything, not at the moment. I don't think that's your biggest problem anymore. It's too old, too suppressed. You're upset about something else, something closer to the heart."

"If you're talking about Sue Ellen, you're probably right. I visited the home last night. Prunella was right: The place was covered in strange relics and I could feel them pulling on me somehow. I can't go back there and neither can any of the others. But I could see into the house and...I miss her because I don't have any closure. I see now we could never be together, but my heart feels stuck. I keep dreaming of her, seeing her when I close my eyes. I have the urge to follow her throughout the day to get a better glimpse of her, to see her in a compromising position or something. I know it's wrong. I know I shouldn't let myself get torn up over someone who pretty much set out to destroy me-"

"I don't think she did," Savanna interrupted. Fern shook her head to disagree. "Well, I think she's just as stuck as you. She was Muffy's friend before you got here. The two did everything together, but her father thought Muffy was a bad influence on her. That was before he and his wife got major pay raises. Now they're rich enough to afford friends like the Crosswire's. In fact, they're too rich to be friends with them, leaving Sue Ellen just as torn. She's torn culturally while you're torn emotionally. Either way, I feel like that's the issue you should tackle first. I think you need to find out if someone out there cared about you the same way, someone your own age."

"No one cared about me, especially anyone from my past. People here ignored me while the people I left behind used my yearbook picture as a dart board!" Fern cried. Savanna scoffed, but Fern countered her, "Yes, they did do that! I walked past the Frensky house last night, and inside Francine's door on her closet door is a picture of _me_, and it's covered in dart holes!" Fern exclaimed. "They hate me. You're wasting your time trying to find someone who cared about me. My parents loved me, or at least my mother did, but the only friend who cared was Sue Ellen-," Fern paused, her voice cracking, "but now, she's glad I'm dead. She's glad I killed myself so that I'm not a burden to her anymore!"

Savanna sighed as Catherine entered the room. Catherine had a wide smile on her freckled face, but Fern pushed past her. Savanna called after her, but Fern kept going. Savanna exhaled and leaned against the wall. Catherine sat across from her on the floor, a devious grin on her face.

"I know you want to know what I found out," Catherine smiled, rocking as she sat cross-legged. Savanna shrugged, wiping a tear from her eye. "Man, that bad huh? Come on, you're letting this chick get to you over nothing! So her love interest didn't return the favor. Someone out there did actually love her, someone you'd never expect, not in a million-billion-_trillion_ years!" Catherine exclaimed. Savanna stood up and brushed past her. "What? Come on, Savanna, what's gotten you like this?"

"I know how she feels, okay? You were daddy's little diva, but I was just that white trash kid next door whose mom left the key under the mat every night," Savanna cried. "I know what she's been through, and you know what? I'm tired of standing here waiting for things to happen. Thanks for the information, but Fern's not ready for that right now. And you're right about something else too: I'm tired of sitting here doing everything for someone I might not even be able to help."

"Don't tell me you're going to find your parents again," Catherine sighed. Savanna stopped on the stairs and looked back up to her, "No, I'm going to find my body and get Prunella to help me tell the authorities. I want a proper burial, and then, I want to move on. I'm tired of pretending to have fun when inside, I feel just like her. Maybe Fern is right to mope around the world with that blank expression, hiding the fact that she is living in a fucking playground! Maybe I should be more like her and less like you. We party too much, by the way, and you need to get screwing around when you could be doing more important things with your afterlife. That's why I do what I do, to make a difference. And I do the work because I never had money to throw at my problems," Savanna called as she walked down the stairs.

"You know, if you hadn't complimented me so much, I'd think you were talking bad about me!" Catherine yelled after her. Savanna groaned and stopped on the stairs to call back, "I was, but you're right. I don't like your kind but you have some points. Keep it up and I might change my mind about you rich kids one day."

Catherine exhaled and sat down again. She wanted to share what she knew about Fern's love interest, but maybe Savanna was right. Maybe they should work through their other problems first before they add in another one. She thought about everything Savanna said, but she shook off the insults. After a few minutes, she adjusted her outfit and rushed out to the football field. A few minutes later, she was under the bleachers with her favorite football player, pretending her earlier conversation never even happened.

Savanna arrived at the Deegan household and heard a commotion inside. Curtains closed and chanting began. Savanna sighed heavily as she rested against a telephone pole. The chanting continued almost an hour while Savanna waited, watching the cars pass on the quiet street. Finally, Prunella arrived, gasping as she laid eyes on Savanna.

"What are you doing here? I thought the other one was pushy," Prunella said. Savanna sighed heavily, "I have a project for you and your family, one that could help me get to the other side. Care to help?" Savanna questioned. Prunella nodded and stepped up the front walk. She had to knock to get through the door, which her mother had barricaded from the inside. Rubella ran upstairs to hide while Prunella convinced her mother to let the ghost girl inside. Finally, after more waiting, Prunella gestured her into the house.

"I hope you don't plan to pull any dirty ghost tricks on us!" Prunella's mother hissed as she looked Savanna over. "I recognize you! Your kind has approached us before!" she cried. Savanna exhaled and looked to Prunella, who argued on her behalf. Finally, her mother sat down on the family's couch, but Savanna could tell she was still quite tense.

"I came to you with an important project that could help me leave your world once and for all, a project to help me get to wherever I'm supposed to go after this," Savanna explained. Prunella and her mother nodded for her to continue. "I was murdered in 1958. I bump that number up sometimes to convince the others I'm not that old, but it was 1958. I was picked up at the bus stop near Rosewood Academy, and the man took me to a wooded area, did things to me, then killed me. I cooperated with him, so I never understood why he killed me. But now, I need to know where he buried me. My body was never found."

"You're a murder victim? No wonder you like messing with people," Prunella's mother scoffed. Savanna rolled her eyes, "I started messing with people because I bored and I could finally get away with things! Seriously, you try being a white trash woman's daughter. It's not as easy as you think it is," Savanna said coldly, crossing her eyes and avoiding eye contact.

"We're not here to judge you," Prunella said with a forced tone, elbowing her protesting mother. "Where do you think your body was buried? There are a lot of areas of woods still remaining from that area," Prunella said. Her mother disagreed. "Well then, tell her what you know instead of pretending she's trying to trick us. She really does want our help, Mom. Please, just tell her what you know."

"I sense that your body was found, but it was mistaken for someone else's," Prunella's mother muttered. Prunella nodded for her to continue, so her mother closed her eyes. Savanna felt power move through the room and into her mother as her vision began, "I see a contractor, a shady contractor. I recognize his image as one accused of fraud in recent years. He's...he's kneeling over a body, and it's very decomposed. A necklace remains, a silver angel," Prunella's mother described. Savanna shivered; that was her necklace. "He hid his discovery. I see...a concrete truck, workers...the vision fades as a house comes into view," Prunella's mother said, exhaling and collapsing limply into the couch.

"They built a house over my body?" Savanna asked. Prunella nodded, fanning her mother gently. Rubella, who was spying from the hallway, rushed into the kitchen and began preparing a kettle of tea. "So, that explains why I was never discovered. When she's up for it, will you try to figure out which house?" Savanna questioned. Prunella nodded solemnly, standing and leading Savanna towards the door. "Thank you for this."

"Are you still helping Fern?" Prunella asked. Savanna nodded lightly. "Well, I...I saw George at school today and he's pretty torn up about her death. I wanted to tell her she needed to know about him, that someone like him could care about a girl like him, but I didn't have the courage. What do you think I should do?"

"Fern is troubled," Savanna sighed, stepping outside as a light mist began to fall. "I don't know how much we're going to be able to get through to her, but she shared her story, and I saw what happened when she was younger. Technology has never worked for her, and I feel like if she would've apologized, she'd be in a better place. I wanted to work with her, but she rushed away, and...well, I've decided I'm tired of this sort of thing. I'm done with the tricks and the scaring innocent people. I want to clear up my own past so I can get out of this place. I don't care how long it takes because you and your family are my only hope. Considering how few years my parents have left to live, this means a lot to them as well."

"We'll do whatever we can," Prunella nodded, watching Savanna disappear up the street. She stepped inside the family kitchen and found her mother and sister sitting at the table. "You're going to help her when your strength returns, right?" Prunella asked. Rubella scowled and tried to speak, but Prunella held up her hand, "She's sincere, and if she gets through to the other ghosts in this town, maybe they'll quit pulling pranks on everyone and blowing up mansions."

"I'll do what I can, but my strength fades," her mother whispered. Prunella nodded, eying her sister carefully as she moved into her room. She went to her computer and pulled up her copy of the story Fern accidentally submitted. She always felt Fern shared the truth with her readers in that issue, the truth that many of their childhood friends were heading down a horrible path because of their own views of the world. None of them chose to listen to her because they all felt the article was an attack on their character, but Prunella knew the truth. And she hoped deep down that Savanna could get through to Fern and maybe concoct a postmortem piece to counter the damage she did so few years ago.

Fern stood outside Elwood City High as the students began to enter for morning classes. She'd been wandering the city since she left Rosewood Academy, but now she was here. She didn't exactly know what she was doing, so she stepped into the school and began walking the halls. She toured the new facility when it was built a few years ago, but the layout still felt unfamiliar as she weaved through the hallways, up and down stairs, and into classrooms that had no purpose when Fern first saw the location. The entire building was unfamiliar, yet in a strange way, it felt more like home than Rosewood Academy. Fern moved into the library, where the librarian stood at the counter flipping through a magazine. When Fern walked past, the librarian looked up with a perplexed expression. Fern stood there and watched her as she looked around the area. After a few moments, the librarian looked down again, but she could still sense Fern's presence and it made her very nervous.

Fern browsed the stacks, quickly finding the young adult mystery section. She eyed the titles, wishing she could curl up with them. Her power was still week from the explosion at the party, and her hand slipped through the titles, even when Fern tried to get angry at the books for not obeying her whim. She finally sighed and left the room, venturing into the cafeteria. Most of the faces were unfamiliar, but at one table, Arthur and Buster sat eating breakfast, or rather, playing with their breakfast. Fern walked past them to see Francine, Jenna, Maria, and other teammates looking over sports-related paperwork. A few tables over, Brain sat with a younger student discussing terms Fern had never even heard of. Binky was listening a table over, scribbling down notes on a worksheet.

Fern looked at each of them, her old classmates, and she wondered if they were all at Elwood City High now. She knew Molly had moved while in middle school, and that Buster sometimes spent entire school years living with his dad. But so far, the only person she couldn't account for was George. She looked through the cafeteria and the gym, but the boy was nowhere to be found. When the bell rang, Fern took a spot on an upstairs balcony overlooking the main hallways. Finally she spotted him coming out of the administrative offices. Fern wondered what he was doing there before realizing something: It didn't really matter.

Fern sighed and sat down on the balcony, letting her ghostly feet dangle. She looked over the school deep in thought. If things had gone differently, Fern would belong here, and what her old friends were doing would matter more than anything in her young life. She wished things had worked out differently as students trickled into their classrooms to begin their day.

Downstairs, Fern noticed one of the leading administrators leading a ginger-haired student into the offices. Fern hovered down and went through walls to get to the right office. The red-haired girl, who looked a lot like Catherine, sat at an administrator's desk while they made copies. When Fern entered the room, Catherine smirked and waved to her, pointing to a piece of paper on the desk.

"You're enrolling here as Charly Simpson? What are you doing that for?" Fern asked. Catherine shrugged as the administrator returned to the room discussing her new schedule. She would begin with an algebra class just a few feet away from the office, and he led her to the room himself. Fern followed, finding herself in a small math class filled with remedial students. Catherine was introduced to the class by an extremely bored woman, who immediately went back to flipping through a product magazine once "Charly" was in her seat. Fern sat next to her.

"I'm doing a little work of my own. I have the power to manefest myself like this for considerable amounts of time, so why not use it to my advantage?" Catherine whispered, smiling and waving flirtaciously at a male student who realized she was muttering to herself. "I'm going to prove to Savanna that I can do something productive other than have kinky fun time with boys," Catherine winked, "but if some gets mixed in, so be it. Why are you here?" Catherine asked, raising an eyebrow when Fern shrugged. Catherine gathered her things to move next to the boy a few seats over, "Well, I think you need to figure that out before you spend too much time here. You never know who else could be lurking around."

Fern knew she was right. She pictured Rosewood Academy, the clock tower specifically, and a moment later, she was inside. Savanna looked up and smiled to herself, putting down her magazine and going up to Fern. Fern's expression was solemn, but she smirked. Savanna patted her shoulder, "Well, are you ready to finally tackle your issues head-on?" Savanna asked. Fern shrugged. "Yeah, it's a difficult decision, but...if it makes you feel any better, I went to Prunella and her family for help. I want my body to be found so my family can have closure. Then, well, I might move on myself," Savanna smiled, walking to the clock face and looking down on the school grounds. "I've been doing this for so many years now, Fern, so many years of partying and playing tricks. You proved something to me when you came here. You proved to me that maybe I do need to move on with my afterlife, but I have one last person to help first, and that would be you."

"What exactly is Catherine doing then?" Fern asked. Savanna turned around to look at her, her face contorted with confusion. "She was at Elwood City High posing as a student, and she said it had something to do with me," Fern explained. Savanna sighed heavily and turned back around. "Is it safe for her to do that?"

"If she finds whatever information she's looking for, it won't matter anyway," Savanna replied, exhaling slowly. "What do you want to do to handle things? You seem like you're ready to actually do something instead of standing back and hiding things from us," Savanna said, walking up to Fern. Fern sat down on the ground and Savanna sank down with her.

"I...I think I want to find out who cared and how much. I haven't been home yet. I don't want to see my mother drinking, my father staring, and my step-mother looking bored and bewildered. But you're right that someone else must've cared, whether I noticed them or not. Someone else thought of me highly, but I have to figure out who," Fern sighed. "Maybe that's what Catherine is up to. Either way, I think I want to watch Sue Ellen, not to see her in any compromising positions, but to see how she's doing after my death. If she's upset, then she cared about me. If she's not-"

"It doesn't mean anything," Savanna interupted. "Believe me, grief works in strange ways. She might appear bored, blank-faced, or some other off expression. She could be herself in public but she sobs in private. You'll have to watch her closely, and...I want to help you. Do you mind if I watch with you?" Savanna asked. Fern shook her head and stood up. Savanna stood with her and followed her down the clock tower's stairs and into the main hallways. They found Sue Ellen within a few minutes, and the two hovered in the corner to watch her as her art class met.

Fern immediately noticed that Sue Ellen looked more down than usual, and as the class began painting, Fern saw Sue Ellen making a poor effort at getting paint onto the canvas. Her teacher noticed, exhaling slowly as she moved to work with a different student. People were standing clear of Sue Ellen, and when the classes changed, Fern noticed that she was distancing herself from Muffy and her rich friends as well.

"Sue Ellen, I'm having a party at my house tonight to celebrate Clara's birthday. You should come," Muffy smiled. Sue Ellen shook her head as she moved books around within her locker. Muffy approached her, "Sue Ellen, you keep rejecting my invitations. What's wrong with you? We're going to fall behind in the count if you don't get back in the game."

"What if I don't want to play anymore, hmm?" Sue Ellen asked, slamming her locker door shut. "What if I'm done with all of this? Get out of my way, Muffy," Sue Ellen hissed. Muffy stood her ground, "What has gotten into you? Ever since Fern died, you've acted like you're the one who pushed her off that bridge. She's gone, you're here, and there's nothing in the world that's going to change that. Get over yourself anyway. I thought you were trying to get away from her."

Sue Ellen shoved past Muffy, who cried out as Sue Ellen rushed up the hallway. Fern and Savanna remained with Muffy, watching as she stood in the middle of the hallway with her perplexed friends, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with Sue Ellen. When they moved on, Fern and Savanna tracked down Sue Ellen to a storage closet a few doors down. She was crying, and Fern immediately left the room. Savanna followed.

"Fern, how do you feel right now?" Savanna asked, following her up the clock tower's stairs. Fern sighed heavily and sat down directly in front of the clock face. She stared down onto the school's grounds before looking up with a soft smile. Savanna nodded, "Exactly, Fern. I think Sue Ellen did care about you despite all the lies. We can watch her longer, but not today. You should rest up and gather your strength. I'm going to go see what Catherine is up to," Savanna said, waiting a moment before sending herself to Elwood City High.

Savanna found Catherine sitting in the gym with several boys. They were in gym class watching others do a strength test in the middle of the floor. Savanna moved up the steps and sat as close to Catherine as she could. Below them, George Lundgren was sitting on the bench, his arms crossed in defiance as he refused to participate.

"Group Two! Lundgren, you get up! I'll write you up, boy!" the coach threatened. The boys next to Catherine departed, taking their spots on the gym floor, but George remained glued to his seat. The coach sighed heavily and blew his whistle, signalling the group to begin. As they did, he moved next to George, "So, this is how you're going to act today? Well, it's the third time this week and I'm sick of the games. If you won't tell me anything, off you go," the coach said. George shrugged and left the room, almost running to the door so he could get away.

"What else have you seen with him?" Savanna asked, moving to sit next to Catherine. Catherine exhaled slowly before looking up to Savanna with a smile, "I think he had it bad for her, real bad, but I haven't been able to tell yet. I like it here though. It's not as stuck up as Rosewood Academy."

"Do you want me to follow him or are you good?" Savanna asked. Catherine grinned, looking down at the teen boys as they worked out. Savanna scoffed, "Have your fun, Charley. I'm going back to Fern now. I...um...I hope things are cleared up between us. We're all a little charged up right now from everything, and-"

"I know. You lived a hard life, Savanna. You need to get yourself together, help Fern out, and then you need to move on," Catherine whispered, waving to a boy on the gym floor. He nearly tripped and fell, making Catherine giggle to herself. "That is your plan, right? You're going to figure out what's bothering you, finally, and get out of here?" Catherine guessed. Savanna nodded. "Well, if you need anything, school lets out at three-fifteen here," Catherine winked. "See you tonight."

Savanna nodded, moving back to Rosewood Academy in the blink of an eye. She found Fern in an English classroom overlooking Sue Ellen's desk. Savanna let her do her work, moving to her hiding spot behind the bleachers instead. She pulled out an old book of archived newspapers, flipping to the one with her initial headline: "YOUNG GIRL MISSING WITHOUT A TRACE." She exhaled as she touched the pages, closing her eyes and trying to imagine those days. She gasped, falling back into the moment of her death without even realizing it:

"_You know, you don't have to keep me tied up. I don't have anything better to do. I'll stay with you. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just loosen these things, okay?" Savanna asked. She turned to see her kidnapper, but all she saw was the glint of something metallic...then darkness._

Savanna gasped loudly and screamed as she came out of the moment. She was gripping the floor as she composed herself, but she quickly realized the lights were out in the gym. Glass littered the floor, and just like at the Armstrong party, everyone gingerly left the room to escape the darkness and hopefully avoid injury. Savanna felt guilty for causing such a scene herself, especially since she didn't learn anything new. All she learned is that her death still bothered her, rather, the surprise of her death still bothered her. She composed herself slowly, the moment still playing over and over in her mind. Then she moved to the clock face to look over the grounds, hoping she would encounter no one as she did.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Fern found Savanna in the clock tower and looked her over careful. She could sense the girl had less power than before, but Fern expected such a thing after that she heard through the halls. She sat next to her, and Savanna looked up with a weak expression. She exhaled and looked back to the grounds. Fern looked down and saw the headmaster entering the school while a secretery parked his car nearby.

"They'll investigate but find nothing," Savanna whispered. "They'll blame the electrician or something, then try to write off the entire event as a human error power surge or something messed up like that," Savanna sighed. "That's only the third time that's happened to me. When I came here, I had my visions, and that was Time One and Time Two. This time, Time Three, came out of nowhere, and...it felt different, more powerful. I don't know why, but now I feel so weak, and I can't flip through my magazines," Savanna sighed. "We're in the same positiong now, and Catherine won't be happy when she finds out. But she's doing good work there. She's tracking something for me that you might like, but...it'll take time."

"I followed Sue Ellen when she got finished crying," Fern whispered, exhaling slowly as she looked around the room. "She doesn't want to go here anymore. She's tired of rich people, she told her father, and all the crazy things they do. She regrets ever coming here, ever getting their money. Her father didn't say much, but it sounded like he's willing to do anything to make her happy. If she doesn't go here anymore, I just...I don't even know what it means. I thought she was really happy here. She just got an internship at the library, and-"

"No she didn't," Savanna sighed, turning to face Fern. "That job is a sham. I saw it happen for myself. They called her into the office and told her she was going to be the new intern for the library, and they even printed her a badge, but she's only volunteering her time, in their eyes. If she puts it on a résumé, they'll claim it never happened. They do that all the time to eager people. Sue Ellen is just another victim, one of many, to come through this school. I want you to know things like that are far-reaching," Savanna whispered, but her tone was stern. "Everyone here lies about something, and well, now Sue Ellen is apart of that too."

"Is that the same thing that happened to me?" Fern questioned. Savanna scoffed and shook her head, "No, what happened to you was much, much worse. You had a legitimate position, but as you've discovered, you should've covered your ass when you could and everything would be fine. Instead, you became their slave, but now that Margie is back... Well, Margie was always dangerous. She's been here before, and I doubt she'll leave now that she has her power. She's a seductive kid, the kind of girl that gets good men in trouble, not the Dr. Hopkins needed any help. No, Fern, what happened to you was business, dirty, crooked business," Savanna said, looking up to her closely. "I think you need to watch his office. You're going to see things that you can't unsee, but I feel it's worth it if you finally learn the truth."

"What are you going to do? Do you need chocolate, or-?" Fern asked, but Savanna shook her head. She simply wanted to rest, so Fern left the room. She went immediately to the journalism office, where her class was meeting for their lesson. Fern took a spot at the back of the room, smirking to herself as several people appeared to be uncomfortable with her presence. Dr. Hopkins didn't even noticed, however, as he began explaining a new concept to the class.

But a moment later, a knock sounded at the door. Fern and the group turned to see Margie standing in the doorway, her uniform tighter than the rest and far more revealing. Fern felt herself blush as Margie pranced to the front of the room. She put a black folder into Dr. Hopkins's hand and whispered something to him. He smiled and waved to her like a school boy as she left. When he looked and realized his class was still very much in the room with him, he stood behind the podium, blushing vividly as he attempted to stammer through the rest of the lesson. Luckily the bell rang, freeing him from his own madness as the room cleared of students. He immediately rushed into his office, locking the door behind him.

Fern remained in the classroom, her eyes falling on the black folder. She approached it, and for the first time since she became a ghost, she easily flipped open the top. Inside was a story from another source, its author and other information blacked out with a thick marker. At the bottom, Margie signed her own name, placing a Post-It next to it that demanded he publish this in the next issue per her grandfather's orders. Fern didn't understand, but she knew from what Savanna told her that Margie had strong family connections to the school, connections not necessarily strong enough to warrant plagerism, but if no one was going to say anything...

Fern looked up as Margie sneaked into the room. She tapped the door twice and Dr. Hopkins answered wearing only a robe. Fern blushed as Margie giggled and tiptoed into the room. A moment later, Fern heard unfamiliar noises, but she blushed, knowing immediately what they were. She gasped as people walked past the classroom door, where the sounds were still very much audible, without batting an eyelash. Fern left the room, rushing to the library for some peace from the horrors of the journalism classroom. She found Sue Ellen placing books on the shelf, a solemn expression on her face. Fern looked down and realized Sue Ellen was shelving her favorite titles, all of them classic mysteries. In fact, two of the books were checked out to her when she passed. Fern wasn't sure how they ended up back at the school, but she remained silent as she watched Sue Ellen from a different aisle.

"Miss Armstrong, you copied these papers wrong," the librarian scolded. Sue Ellen sighed as the woman approached, tossing a pile of papers onto her cart. Most of them slipped to the floor, but the woman never even looked down to see where they landed. "You were given this position as an opportunity. Don't waste your time with us if you're not going to fill this position correctly!" the librarian hissed, turning on one heel and storming off. Sue Ellen continued shelving without a reaction, but Fern knew that look. She was biting her cheeks on the inside, trying not to cry, something Fern did so many times while she was alive that it almost hurt to remember it.

When Sue Ellen moved to a different section, gathering the papers as she did, she finally broke down. She stiffled her sobs by crying into her jacket sleeve, her mouth open as she choked. Fern felt a deep pain in her chest, and before she realized what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen's body was shaking at first, but then she froze, her tears stopping almost immediately. She stood there with a dumbfounded look on her pale face, her eyes staring forward. When Fern pulled away, the look was the same. Sue Ellen just stood there looking forward. Fern wondered if she'd done something she shouldn't have, but when a small smirk formed on Sue Ellen's face and she wiped away her tears, Fern knew that not only had she done the right thing, but Sue Ellen had noticed her.

It was lunchtime at Elwood City High. Catherine, aka Charley, already had a large group of boys to sit with, but as she approached their designated table, she overhead someone talking about Fern. Catherine sank into a chair near them to better hear the conversation.

"Yeah, they wanted to do some sort of memorial reprinting of all of her works," Francine spat. "It's sickening! What if they republish that monstrosity again? I'll be ruined! I won't ever get into any real college because no matter where you look, you'll see 'Francine Frensky is a selfish, bossy person who's more self-centered than the _sun!_' It's ridiculous!" Francine screamed, slamming her fists onto the table.

"Who wanted to do this? Grebe Middle barred her from ever publishing anything else, and they took down all her other articles," Jenna said. Francine scoffed, "No, not them. Of course not them," Francine sighed. "The local paper, the actual public paper you get delivered to your house, wanted to do it. Apparently Buster's mom is sympathetic to her situation and called for the story. My mother is dead against it!"

"Isn't your mother the one blatantly making phone calls during her funeral?" Catherine heard herself say. She stood up, her words taking effect as the entire area went silent. "And, if I recall, you were doing the same damn thing! But yes, the little dead girl is a rude little bitch no one deserves to remember because you're 'special'," Catherine smirked, watching as Francine cycled through about a million different emotions, all of them rage-related.

"And just who do you think you are?!" Francine screamed. A few teen boys from Catherine's table approached to answer the question, "This is Charley. She's more of a girl you dykes will ever be!" he said. The area filled with 'oohs!' as an administrator approached to see what was going on. The teen boy easily went to his table, but Catherine remained standing at the table.

"She's attacking me, Mr. Wright! Get her away from here!" Francine cried. The man looked to Catherine, who smirked and shrugged, "I'm only defending the person Francine is trying to bully. And I say 'trying' because she's insulting a member of the dearly departed," Catherine said, watching with a devious grin as the administrator turned to face Francine. Catherine could tell this wasn't the first he'd heard of this complaint.

"You, come with me. You, did anyone else say anything?" Mr. Wright asked of Catherine. She shook her head as Francine moved her things. A moment later, Catherine was in her spot, "No, Mr. Wright, but I'll just sit here and make sure they all keep their dirty little mouths shut about the dead."

Mr. Wright didn't appear to agree with this approach, but he left the area anyway with Francine at his side. When they were gone, Catherine looked directly to Jenna, who blushed vividly and tried to hide in her seat. Catherine leaned towards her, enjoying the fear the girl oozed as she did so. Finally Jenna pulled away and Catherine smiled to the others.

"Only the guilty run from such accusations," Catherine said. "I know what she did, and I know how she feels about the incident. Why all of you are still so hung up on everything is beyond me," Catherine smiled, stealing a roll from another plate without a single look or protest. "So, why can't you let go? I hear Muffy Crosswire tore this group upside down with her antics, but no one gives a rat's ass about her anymore now that she's at the rich kids' school."

"How do you even know all of this?" Jenna asked. Catherine shrugged, "A girl has her ways," she winked, stealing an unopened milk carton from a tray. Though everyone was looking at her, no one said a word as she opened the milk and took a very long gulp from it. She put it down and looked the group over, "You're all pretty pathetic. She killed herself, you know, but you're acting like some holy accident befell her. All that pain ignored by the very people who feel similar insecurities all the damn time. Look at you, for example, Jenna, is it?" Catherine asked. Jenna went pale and nodded. "You act all high and mighty, but I know what you wear under those clothes. I know your little secret, but I won't tell. No, I wouldn't want to hurt such a wonderful member of Elwood City society," Catherine grinned, enjoying her game as the girls squirmed, hoping she wouldn't look to them next.

A moment later, the bell rang, dismissing lunch. Catherine clicked her tongue, "Look at all this wasted food. Leave it here, girls. Charley will take care of it," she smiled, watching the girls nervously leave her table. They didn't start whispering to each other until they were very far away, making Catherine laugh to herself. When she turned around, she noticed George Lundgren standing next to the table. "Can I help you?" Catherine asked.

George glanced around before sitting next to her, "I heard what you said to Francine. They're right though. You weren't at the funeral," George whispered. Catherine shrugged, taking a bite of some of the uneaten food around her. "Who are you? I saw you earlier in the gym, but you almost look-"

"Don't say it," Catherine whispered, her smile fading as she realized what he was saying. She looked down to her hand and noticed the shimmer. Somehow, her power wasn't as strong this time around, and she could almost feel her energy draining away, "I...I can't tell you why this is happening, but...answer me something. Why is it that you're the only one who still cares about Fern after all these years? Everyone else hates her, but you? You look genuinely torn up about her death."

"She was defending me when she wrote that. No one ever defended me before, not in middle school at least. She seemed to care about me, but I don't know. I never got to ask her about it, and then she left school for good. I just...you know a lot of things, right?" George asked. Catherine nodded. "Why did...why did she do it?" George stammered, a slight tear forming in his eye.

Catherine looked him over. The kid was the definition of awkward, his left antlers appearing slightly larger than his right side's antlers. He was gawky otherwise, his lanky frame spilling out of the plastic chair. Catherine smiled to him and leaned forward, "Sometimes the world gets to be too much for some people. What you need to remember is that one's teenage years are almost supposed to be uncomfortable. You're supposed to feel like people don't care about you, like people are all wrong and you're the only one that's right. That's the teen way. But one day, even though life feels like it's getting harder, you'll find out that in the end, we all end up in the same place no matter what, so you might as well tough it out and wait for another good part to come up again. Believe me, you never know when your chance to have those good parts will end," Catherine winked, snatching an entire tray of food and darting from the room.

She closed her eyes and opened them to find herself in the clock tower. Savanna was laying on the floor looking much more transparent than usual. Catherine thought for a moment and felt the power shift. She could sense the gym was her target, but she could also sense her friend's power wasn't recharging as fast as before.

A moment later, Fern appeared. Catherine sighed before noticing the girl had a strange look on her face, almost a smile. Catherine gestured for Fern to sit next to her, and Fern obeyed. But the sight of Savanna distracted them both. The ghost girl didn't look like herself, and she didn't make much effort to open her eyes and leave her sleep-like state.

"What in the world happened to her?" Catherine asked. Fern shook her head, "I'm not really sure, but I think she saw her death again. She said she wants to find closure once and for all, but...is she going to be able to?" Fern asked. Catherine shook her head and looked Savanna over. "She made the gym explode, but she said that's happened before. No one will suspect anything."

"But the mansion explosion wasn't that long ago," Catherine murmured. "I'll keep an eye on the situation. My work at Elwood City High can't continue," she said, holding up her arm to Sue Ellen. Her power was fading as well, and her arm was shimmering as light passed through her. "I did speak to someone from your past, well, a few people. I think I traumatized your old enemy Francine, but she deserved it. And the others? Well, they might be rethinking their thoughts and actions as well. But the one I want to tell you about-"

"I don't want to know yet," Fern whispered, smiling softly. "I...I saw Sue Ellen today. She's upset about my passing and the way her life is going. She was crying, and I...I instinctively hugged her. I think she felt me. I really think she felt me."

Catherine smiled, "She probably did, Fern. See, people did care about you. You didn't get to see it before, but they cared about you. And someone named Bitzi is trying to get your articles republished in the public paper in memory of you. She must've cared too."

"Bitzi Baxter barely knew me," Fern murmured, trying to remember the last time she even saw the woman. The only image that came to mind was sixth grade honors day when she sat just behind Fern's parents, but Fern didn't remember if they'd ever been alone together.

"Well, Francine was making some particularly rude comments, but an administrator got involved. He didn't seem particularly happy with someone talking ill of the dead, but he didn't seem that happy in general. I sat with her friends too. Good people, plenty of dirt to spread if they get any wild ideas," Catherine winked. "They'll all fall one day, each other them. I wish you would've known that before, but it's okay. I won't judge you for what you did, but if you want to move on-"

"I don't, not yet," Fern said quickly. "I got a reaction from Sue Ellen. That's all I wanted," Fern smiled. Savanna groaned beside her, "Will you two please leave me be so I can rest?" she pleaded. Catherine and Fern exchanged glances before moving outside to the football field's bleachers. The football player's ghost immediately approached and tried to kiss Catherine, but she pushed him away, citing official business. He sulked away to the uprights, levitating to the top so he could overlook the field. The girls decided to watch the players quietly as well, both of their minds filled with deep thoughts.

Prunella returned home from school to find her mother and Rubella looking at the family computer. Prunella peered through their shoulders, quickly realizing that they were using a satellite image of the area of look at homes. Her mother's face was determined, but Rubella was covered with skepticism as she looked back to her little sister.

"I've found a subdivision with a similar archetecture style, and according to sattelite images, the area would've been covered in woods at the time," her mother explained. Prunella nodded, looking at the images on screen. She wondered if any of them were right, but she hadn't seen the ghost since. She had, however, felt a pulse of energy similar to the one Fern emitted just a few days ago. "Oh, honey, do you want to go out to Rosewood Academy with your sister when you're done with your homework? I felt an energy surge from there this morning, and I hear that's where this ghost frequents. I should have an address by then or something."

"Are you sure it was her and not Fern?" Prunella asked. Her mother nodded, "Positive, sweetie. There's no way she had that much power built up after her previous surge. You felt it, right? You felt the power?" she questioned. Prunella nodded. "Well, investigate for me. I should have an address by then, but maybe I just need to say it's this neighborhood for now and get the police involved...," she pondered. She gasped, "No, nope, I saw that tree in my vision. It's not native to here, and wow, I'm surprised it survived this long," she said, smiling back at her daugher, "Go do your homework, sweetie. Rubella, help her so it'll move faster," she said, jotting down something on an index card.

Once upstairs, Rubella sighed heavily and sank on her bed, "I can't believe I'm this old and still tracking down supernatural activity with my mother and little sister. No offense, sis, but you shouldn't have let her in here. I mean, who does she think she is coming here asking a question like that?"

"Like anyone else can hear her," Prunella muttered, raising an eyebrow as her sister scoffed. "Yes, I'm being serious, Rubella. Not everyone has abilities like us. You can't even sense what we can. We're her only hope unless you know some other clairvoyants in the area that are actually willing to say they found a body using their abilities," Prunella said. Rubella scoffed again. "See, it's that kind of attitude that keeps the school busy and my cabinets full of pills. I'm not crazy, but 'oh, Prunella Deegan can see ghosts! She must be a pschitzo-freak!' It's ridiculous what I have to go through because of people like you. And you should be more generous to us. We do let you stay here even though you're obviously old enough to take care of yourself. Now come on, let's get this over with," Prunella sighed, heading downstairs.

"Oh, you finished that quickly," her mother smiled excitedly. "I have the address written down. I want you to get her and take her there and ask her how the area feels. If you need my help, just call the house. And I'll be calling my detective friend to see what he can do to help us. But make sure it's the right place as soon as you can," her mother explained. Prunella nodded as Rubella grabbed the keys. A moment later, they were in the family car and heading to Rosewood Academy. When they got there, they parked in view of the clock face. Prunella could see a shimmering form on the floor, but it was weak.

"I'm going inside if the doors are unlocked. You stay out here and cover me in case anyone comes up," Prunella whispered. Before Rubella could protest, Prunella was at a side door. It was unlocked, so she found her way inside. As she moved up the central hallway, Fern approached with a confused expression. "Fern, where's Savanna?"

"She's upstairs. I'll show you," Fern replied, leading Prunella to the clock tower. As soon as Savanna came into view, Prunella realized she was the cause of the surge. Her body was nearly transparent as she lay on the floor in a deep slumber. "Why did you need to see her? Did you feel the surge-?"

"We didn't think it was her," Prunella whispered. "She came to us, and my mother got a vision of where her body might be. She was able to find the location online, but we need to take her there to see if it's right. She's in no condition though. I'm going to call Mom and tell her," Prunella sighed, pulling out her cell phone. Before she could attempt to dial the number, her battery was drained. She dropped the dead device on the floor in frustration before picking it up again and tucking it into her pocket. "Well, we'll just have to find another way to do this. I, um...when she gets strong enough, tell her to come see us. My mom can do her work without her, but she'll make it easier. We think...we think a builder knew about her body but covered it up with a house."

"Wow, that's horrible!" Fern gasped. Prunella nodded, "Well, it happens more often than you would think. I've gotta go," she said, moving down the stairs. Fern followed her and helped her find her way outside. When Prunella got back to the car, she told her sister the news. Rubella sighed and pulled out her cell phone. Its battery remained stable, allowing Prunella to tell her mom the news. Her mother wasn't pleased, but there wasn't much she could do. She called the girls home for the night, their mission stuck for the moment.

Catherine and Fern were sitting at the edge of the room watching Savanna as she slept. Catherine looked to Fern and smiled softly, "You were very outgoing today. Did you find out anything interesting?"

"Yes and no," Fern murmured. "I...I saw Margie today with Dr. Hopkins. Savanna warned me that what I saw might disturb me, but I never expected what I heard," Fern whispered, shuddering at the memory. Catherine nodded solemnly, "She's a disgusting little whore. I know I look like one of those outgoing flirty types, but I died a virgin. I didn't mind saving myself back then, but after the accident, I decided to live it up. So many ghosts in the area were into partying, so I decided to be into it as well. There aren't exactly consequences when you're dead like me," Catherine smiled. "You'll learn more about Margie if you watch her close enough, more things you don't necessarily want to see or hear or even know about," Catherine shuddered.

"I think the public high schools are better than this place despite all those ads on television about teenage sexuality," Fern murmured. "This place is filled with lies, deception, and sex. Even Sue Ellen got involved, but I saw her today. I don't think she's as interested in what Muffy and her friends have to offer, as interested in what the money has to offer. I think she wants to go back to public school."

"I just hope those girls don't eat her alive there," Catherine sighed, shaking her head solemnly. "It was pretty fun telling that Francine girl off, but I think Sue Ellen is grieving for your loss. She feels guilty because of everything that happened, meaning she blames herself for what you did. You forget in the moment the people you'll affect, but...I think Sue Ellen needed to know what it feels like to lose someone. She'll recover in time, but she'll need that time. Again, Elwood City High isn't the place for her. A lot of people still hate you, but you have some allies. Ready to hear about them?" Catherine asked with a wide smile. Fern nodded slowly. "Oh, don't be nervous. Do you remember George Lundgren?"

"Of course I do," Fern nodded. "I was defending him when I wrote that story. A lot of people never realized that, I think, because his name wasn't in the version that got posted, but the whole story was about him. I never got to share it with him either. I didn't want to embarrass him and everyone was watching me so closely that I couldn't talk to him."

"He knew what you did," Catherine whispered, "and not only that, but he's thankful. He's sorry you're gone, and...he's grieving your loss. He's been acting up in school, and after I told off those girls, he came to ask me how I knew you. He noticed I technically wasn't at the funeral, and then...he asked why you did it. I told him what I know about suicide, and I told him to hang in there. I don't think he'll try anything, but he's really hurting right now, and it's all because of you. So, your parents aren't the only ones who cared."

"Did he like me the way I liked Sue Ellen?" Fern asked softly. Catherine shrugged, "I had to leave. Something is taking our power, so even though I looked fine that morning, by lunch, I was starting to shimmer again. I think whatever is taking our power has something to do with Savanna's problems. She's never been like this. I don't know how she was in the beginning, but I gathered she was always strong. This is the weakest I've ever seen her, yet you... I wonder if you're getting our power somehow."

"What am I supposed to do with that power?" Fern asked, looking at her hands. "I've looked more like myself as the day's gone on. I probably am absorbing it, but what am I supposed to do?"

Catherine smiled, "I think you're the one that's supposed to take over everything when we leave. I've wanted to go for a while, just to see what else is out there for me. I understand the way of the rich man like my father, and my mom passed years ago. Now, I think it's my turn to cross over, just like Savanna is thinking. But, I'm reluctant to go if I keep my power. If you take it, I have no reason to stay. The funnest part about being a ghost in this world is messing with people, but if my hand goes through everything," she said, attempting to pick up a magazine but failing miserably, "then there really is nothing for me. You have that power now, and you should use it to do as you please. Pull pranks on people, expose the wrong doings, scare the little children-whatever you choose to do, just do it with our power and enjoy every moment."

"I thought we were supposed to move on when we died, or is that just the logic of the living?" Fern asked. Catherine shrugged, "I don't know. For years now, people came and went. Some stayed for just a few days, other a few weeks, but none stayed for more than a year. We lived it up with the few that were around the whole time, but most people went to a party or two and crossed over. Savanna and I helped a few of the more difficult cases, but most were simple cases. Show them their family or their girlfriend is okay, and they move onto the other side as happy as a clam.

"Then you came along, and I felt the shift. You're different than the others, more powerful. There are so many emotions inside you that never got a chance to come out, so many memories you never got to be a part of. Your afterlife is a chance to live a life you never got to experience. That's why Savanna stayed so long, and it's the same reason for me. My father was so busy trying to keep me occupied after my mother died that I never had the chance to be a normal kid. We've both done that now, and we both have a new family, something she definitely didn't have while she was alive. You remind her of herself, but at the same time, you were luckier than her. Now, your afterlife will give you a chance to see that luck, and us? Well, we'll finally get to see what we've been helping people get to all these years," Catherine grinned, looking up as Savanna squirmed in her sleep.

"Prunella came and mentioned they found where her body might be. I want to help them," Fern whispered. Catherine sighed heavily, looking down to herself. "You should stay here and watch her. I'll be back when I know they've found her," Fern said, looking to Savanna. She exhaled slowly before closing her eyes and picturing the Deegan house. A detective's car was outside despite the late hour, but when Fern appeared there, she soon found out why.

"Okay, so there's another body there we didn't account for?" the detecitve asked. Prunella's mother nodded before looking up and noticing Fern. She did an entire act of getting a vision while an exhausted Rubella rolled her eyes. Prunella, who was asleep beside her, woke up and bit her lip as she noticed Fern. "What is all this? What are you seeing, lady? It's late."

"She sees an entity from the beyond," Rubella groaned. "I'm going to bed," she muttered, leaving the room. Prunella sighed, "Mom, just tell him what you see. You, entity, tell her what you know. It's too late for this sort of thing."

"Savanna is in no condition to come here. I need to know if her remains have been discovered," Fern explained. Prunella nodded as her mother passed along the question to the detective. He groaned loudly and shrugged, beginning to gather his things. "Where is he going? Is he going to help us find her body?"

"No," Prunella whispered, "I think he's going to forget we said anything because he, like so many other people, think we're crazy. We can actually see her, and we know she's suffering. Her spirit is losing the ability to tell us what she knows, probably because she knows you're abandoning us!" Prunella called after the detective.

"I have no proof any of this psycho-babel even exists!" the detective exclaimed. "Look, I've put up with you all before because you've had some good leads, but I'm telling you, all the bodies at that location were recovered. They were all identified and the remains were sent back to their families. I can check for her somewhere in the paper files, but that'll take two weeks. If she's crossing over or whatever, let her. I'm done here, and don't call me again unless this is an active case. 1958, you people are insane!" the detective groaned, slamming the front door behind him.

"Do you think her remains were sent home but she didn't notice?" Fern questioned. Prunella's mother sighed heavily, "I don't know, darling, but we'll get the answers soon. How is she? Is she fading or losing power or actually moving on?" she asked. Fern gave her a confused look. "Oh, you haven't been around long enough to know, but that gives me a good clue. If she's fading, then my vision this morning was correct. A new order of power is coming to the area. No more young partying ghosts, no more pranks in town," Prunella's mother smiled brightly. "We need more serious spirits in this town, no more jokes."

"Mom, we should get to bed," Prunella called to her. Her mother agreed and moved into her room. Prunella turned off the living room's lights and looked to Fern, "She's fading, isn't she, and you're absorbing her power?" she questioned. Fern nodded slightly. "I've never heard of such a thing, but most stories about the supernatural are fictionalized. Maybe one day, someone can document the proof. And maybe one day, people won't think we're crazy for being able to see people like you," Prunella smiled weakly, turning off a final light and moving upstairs.

Fern sighed heavily and pictured Rosewood Academy. When she got there, Catherine and Savanna were sleeping in the clock tower. Fern decided to roam the halls, which led her to the journalism room. She sat down at the computer, and for the first time since she came to Rosewood Academy, the machine actually worked for her. She exhaled as she went online. Sure enough, Bitzi Baxter was planning a special issue including reprints of Fern's stories, but the news came in a petition document created by the Frensky family. Hundreds of signatures covered the page, all of them demanding the paper scrap the idea. Bitzi seemed adamant, but Fern could sense the other side was winning. She exited the browser and shut down the computer.

Fern decided to step into Dr. Hopkins's office next. In a far corner of the room, a frilly pair of pink underwear lay half-hidden behind a bookcase. Fern grimmaced at first, but then she remembered her conversation with Catherine. Fern was becoming more powerful while ghosts like Catherine and Savanna were fading. Fern had to use this power, and in a moment of clarity, Fern approached the underwear. She picked them up and dropped them into an envelope. She addressed it to Dr. Hopkins from Margie, then she moved to the school's mailroom. She placed the envelope inside the box to the assistant headmaster instead, then she moved to his office to watch and wait.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Dr. Richardson gathered his mail and stepped into his office. When he saw the envelope to Dr. Hopkins, he grabbed it to put it in the correct box. But Fern watched as he touched the envelope, quickly realizing that the contents were not your standard paper. He looked around before opening to tab. When he saw what was inside, he immediately looked at the front of the envelope, his cheeks red from embarrasment. When he read the information on the front, he coughed and moved nervously to his desk. He picked up the phone and dialed a number while Fern watched from the edge of the room.

"Hi, Mitchell? It's Robert from Rosewood. Yes, yes, I know you're on the golf course right now, but we need to have a frank talk about Margie," Dr. Richardson said. Fern could sense the old man was trying to get out of this conversation, trying not to blame his granddaughter for her ill deeds. "Mitchell, it's different this time. If anyone finds out-Damn!" he exclaimed, slamming down his phone. He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead to clear away the cold sweat.

Fern sighed heavily and thought about her options. Obviously, even if the school's administrators wanted to do something about Margie, her grandfather would get her out of any level of trouble. Fern had never dealt with priveledged rich people like that, but she knew that everyone had to have their breaking point, that point when no matter what, they could get in deep trouble. Fern just had to find that breaking point.

As she walked back towards the clock tower, she saw Sue Ellen enter the school with her parents behind her. She wasn't in her uniform, and Fern decided to follow her to see what was going on. She found herself back in Dr. Richardson's office, where he'd used a cup of coffee to compose himself from his morning excitement. Fern stood at the edge of the room as Dr. Richardson pulled out a file folder.

"Well, Sue Ellen, your grades have been magnificent since you came here. Why exactly do you want to leave?" Dr. Richardson asked. Sue Ellen opened her mouth to speak, but her mother interupted her, "She's a little upset about her friend's passing, Miss Walters," she whispered. Dr. Richardson nodded. "She wants a change of pace, so she asked to transfer back into public school. We were actually hoping you could offer us some tutors instead. She'd have no choice but to attend Elwood City High, and with so many of her old friends there, we feel like it might be too much for her to handle," Mrs. Armstrong smiled. Dr. Richardson nodded and reached into his desk again. He pushed the envelope with Margie's underwear deeper into his desk so he could reach the file he needed. Fern shook her head as he closed the drawer and pulled out a list of names.

"Are all of these trained in their respective fields?" Mr. Armstrong requested. Dr. Richardson nodded, "And I have worked with several of them over the years. This one here, Dr. Montgomery, only left the school so he could study the native peoples of Australia, but he's since returned to the country. In order to spend as much time as possible with his research, he only takes a handful of students a year, and I could see if there is a spot for your daughter."

"No, no, no!" Sue Ellen protested, scooting her chair back to avoid her parents as they reached to comfort her, "Look, I want to go back to public school! No more special treatment, no more private tutors, and no more of this nonsense! You think you're helping me, but you're all just making everything worse!" Sue Ellen cried.

"Sue Ellen, we really do have your best interests at heart," her mother pleaded. "Please, we feel like being with your old classmates will only traumatize you further. We know you cared about Fern very much, but you need to work through your feelings slowly. Exposing yourself to the people you grew up with-"

"Could help me get over things!" Sue Ellen hissed. "Please, I just want to get out of this school and go to public school again. If it doesn't work out, then we could try a private tutor, but I don't want that right now. I just want to be treated like a normal, teenaged girl, not some special head case!" Sue Ellen exclaimed. Her parents sighed heavily, but a moment later, they both signed release papers. The family left the building, leaving Dr. Richardson alone in his office. Fern thought of watching him, but when he brought out a small flask of alcohol, she decided to follow the Armstrong family into the parking lot. She hid in the trunk area of their SUV while they discussed the meeting.

"Sue Ellen, we really are trying to do what's best for you," her mother whispered. Sue Ellen grunted and stared out the window, trying to ignore her mother and hold back tears at the same time. "Your father and I never knew how much you disliked the academy until lately. Why didn't you tell us sooner that you were so unhappy? Sue Ellen, please, we're trying to understand the situation," her mother cried.

"You were both too happy with your own rich lives to care if I was unhappy or not!" Sue Ellen screamed. Mr. Armstrong pulled the car over suddenly, jolting everyone in the car. "You were both so concerned with your new money and the new house and our new lifestyle to care what I was thinking! I tried to tell you I was happy at Grebe Middle, but over the summer, you did everything without my say! I tried to tell you, I really did, but you forced me to do it! I had to pretend to be happy with all those spoiled brats all these years. I compromised my beliefs to suit your new lifestyle, and now I feel dirty! I feel like the worst person in the world, and...I'm the reason Fern jumped off that bridge! I'm the reason she felt like her world was falling apart, and it's because you wanted me to be friends with Muffy and follow their ways," Sue Ellen sobbed. "I hate Muffy! She made me do things I _never_ wanted to do, and I had to lie to Fern the whole time to keep her from knowing! I lied to her and I betrayed her trust, and it's _your_ fault! All of this is _your _fault!" Sue Ellen screamed, tears pouring down her face.

"Fern didn't kill herself because of you, honey, I'm sure of it," her mother whispered, wiping away a tear of her own. "You told us her situation, how much life betrayed her over the years-"

"And I added to that!" Sue Ellen cried. "She came to me with certain feelings that day, and I pushed her away because I was finally going to listen to Muffy and leave her to her own devices. I was going to finally get rid of her once and for all to be a part of your lifestyle. We were talking bad about her when we found out she died. How do you think that made me feel? You don't even care! You think it's all about you, your money, and the power you think you have. You're all worthless and petty now! Your souls are black and worthless!" Sue Ellen sobbed.

"You'll stop this right now!" her father screamed, turning around so fast that even Fern jumped. But it was that jump that caught his attention. He looked to Fern with confusion as her form appeared to him, faded at first, but soon he could make out her entire figure. He started to shake as sweat poured from his brow. A moment later, he turned around and put the car into gear, slamming the gas pedal to the floor. Horns honked as he swerved back into traffic, immediately going too fast for the city streets. The Armstrong women exchanged glances, too afraid to say anything as the car rushed towards home. When they got there, he kept his hands gripped around the wheel, "Get out! Both of you, just get out!" he screamed. The women exchanged glances before obeying his orders and stepping out of the car. When they were completely out of sight, he adjusted the rearview mirror until Fern came into view.

"So, you can see me?" Fern asked. He bit his lip and looked out the windshield again. "I care about her, Mr. Armstrong. That's why I decided to follow you home. I had to know if she was doing okay, if she-"

"It shouldn't matter to you anymore. You left this world. You chose to die, and now...my daughter is screaming at me in my own car and pretending like I ruined her life. Before you did this, everything was fine!" he spat. "Before you did this, so many people in this community forgot about your ill deeds. Yes, I know about that! You wrote horrible things about those people for your own personal gain!"

"I was defending a classmate of ours! Those people were bullying him, especially Francine! I saw your name on that petition. You and Laverne don't want the world to see my journalism because you all think I slandered innocent people. None of them were innocent, not a single one of the people I mentioned in that article. And it was a mistake that I posted that," Fern added. "My computer corrupted the files, and I mistakenly thought that was the real article. I was going to keep that to myself, my thoughts about how horrible my classmates really were. If I wasn't pressured into moving on, into going to Rosewood Academy, I would've issued a formal apology. But now, in the end, even though yes, I chose to die, I'm glad I never took back what I said, because every single word of it is true!" Fern hissed.

"Do you think my daughter is right to leave that place? That academy has done so much good for the people of this town for centuries! Multiple generations of kids have come of age within their hallowed walls, including myself-"

"You're so naive, it hurts," Fern muttered. Mr. Armstrong gave her a cold look in the rearview mirror. "Oh, don't worry, I thought the same thing. I thought they were trying to teach me a horrible lesson by giving my position on the journalism staff to a so-called better writer, and I decided to leave this world because on top of that, my mother's life was crumbling and I was going to be forced back into a place where everyone hates me. But my death taught me something: That school is filled with more corruption than any other place in this dreadful town! Do you know why I was being replaced on the journalism staff? A girl, the granddaughter of a former headmaster, is fucking the good doctor, and he's enjoying every moment of it! Don't look so shocked, Mr. Armstrong. She's also stealing stories from online stories, and he's gladly letting her. Do you want proof? Call Dr. Richardson and check his desk," Fern said.

Mr. Armstrong struggled with her words, but he finally called Dr. Richardson again. He answered immediately, and Fern could tell the man was surprised at the allegations Mr. Armstrong was issuing. But because of the evidence he had within his drawer, he knew he had to do something, and he admitted there was something amiss, but he could do nothing about it. Mr. Armstrong pleaded with him to do something, and the man obliged, ending the call.

Mr. Armstrong looked up to Fern, "How did you even know about that? How did you know of the relationship and the physical evidence and-?"

"The same way I ended up in your car without you even knowing. I'm a ghost now, and I can go wherever I want when I want, and I can see things you can only dream of seeing," Fern smiled, feeling a wave of power come over her. "I'm going back to school now to watch the children sort out this mess. You let Sue Ellen do what she wants. If you want my input, I think you're right, but she needs to find that out for herself."

Mr. Armstrong gaped at the trunk space as Fern disappeared. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel, honking the horn by accident. His wife appeared and stepped into the garage. He stepped out of the car and brushed past her without speaking.

When Fern returned to the school, local police were search Dr. Hopkins's office while other officers held him in another room. Fern smiled to herself as she moved into the clock tower. Catherine was there sitting next to where Savanna was laying before. Fern looked to her with a confused expression. Catherine looked back with a weak smile, "She crossed over while you were gone. Oh, it was so beautiful, Fern, the most beautiful thing in the world!" she cried. Fern knelt beside her with a weak smile. "Oh my god, Fern, you look so...you're like her now. I can feel it. You're so powerful."

"I realize that now as well," Fern nodded, settling onto the floor. "I want to stay here and clean up this mess. If you want to go, you can," Fern whispered. Catherine shook her head, "No, no, I have to see this through. I saw the police arrive and I want to know what's going to happen," Catherine squealed, leading Fern down the clock tower's steps. They arrived at the administrative offices as Dr. Hopkins was being led away. In another room, Margie sat in a comfortable chair, sobbing out her story of rape and torment to the investigators. Fern grinned and pulled Catherine towards the journalism classroom.

Catherine watched with a wicked grin on her face as Fern pulled up Margie's private diary with a mere whim in mind. The computer did her bidding as she pulled up an old entry and erased the contents. She wrote in another entry instead, this one describing a detailed sexual encounter between her and Dr. Hopkins where she led the way. It was how Fern unfortunately pictured the encounter the previous day, and she felt slightly dirty as she edited the post. Then, she left the entry up on the computer and flickered the classroom lights. A school administrator moved into the room and saw the computer. Catherine giggled as the girls moved into the corner. An investigator entered the room and read what was on the screen.

"Hey, help me print this out," the investigator said. The administrator had no idea what to do, so Fern moved to the computer and touched the tower. She pictured the entire diary printing out, starting out with this scandolous entry. The pages began to pour from the copier at the side of the room while the men exchanged glances. In the end, they didn't care how the pages got printed out, just that they were printed. The investigator pulled them from the feed and carried the stack into the office. He showed them to the interviewers and the entry was read to her. Margie screamed, protesting that the entry wasn't hers. Catherine and Fern had to hold each other they were laughing so hard, and soon, Margie was bubbling out details of their affair, recanting her rape and torment story once and for all.

"Fern, I can't believe you pulled this off. Savanna would be so proud," Catherine smiled, pulling Fern towards the clock tower. Fern didn't move. "What are you doing? You're going to watch this whole thing play out?" she asked. Fern nodded. "That could take hours!"

"Well, I'm in my afterlife now, Catherine. I have time to burn," Fern smiled, sitting on top of a nearby filing cabinet. Catherine shrugged and moved outside towards the football field. She walked towards the upright where the athlete ghost normally resided, but she couldn't find him. She looked around as another ghost, Spencer, approached. He looked worried, so Catherine walked with him towards the bleachers.

"Listen, everyone is moving on. It's crazy! Our whole group is losing power or something, and we haven't partied in days!" Spencer cried. Catherine smiled softly. "What? Why are you grinning like that? And where's Savanna? I thought his was like her lair or something."

"It was her lair, but there a new alpha ghost," Catherine said, looking up as investigators left through a side entrance carrying boxes of evidence. "This whole place is about to change, Spence. Fern is in charge now. She's fully taken control of her afterlife, and...Savanna moved on. I don't know what happened, but once I check in with some clairvoyants that were helping her, I might leave myself," she smiled. Spencer gave her a troubled look. "Oh, Spencer, if Savanna could move on, then we can leave this place too. Come on, there has to be something more once we get past this. Let's go find out what happened with Savanna, then we can find out for ourselves."

"Find out what about Savanna?" Spencer asked. Catherine shrugged and extended her hand to Spencer. He sighed heavily, but he accepted it anyway. A moment later, they were inside the Deegan's living room, where Prunella's mother sat on the couch with a wide smile on her face. Catherine sat in the corner of the room on a small cabinet, but Spencer remained standing as a detective paced the center of the floor.

"So you were right about the extra body," the detective sighed. "You were right that the girl's family was still alive, and they were so relieved to finally know where she was all this time. But why do you have that stupid grin on your face?"

"You wouldn't understand, Bill. You just wouldn't understand," Prunella's mother smiled, looking up as Rubella entered the living room. "Ruby, they found her. Her necklace was with her and everything, and her family was still alive as well. Aren't you so pleased with us?" she questioned. Rubella shrugged and pulled her coat off the rack. "Honey, I thought you'd be happier. I know you lack The Gift, but-"

"Then he'd understand how I feel right now," Rubella said, pulling on her jacket. "Mr. Bill, you feel satisfied that good was done, but otherwise, meh?" Rubella asked. Bill shrugged before nodding gently. "See, Mom, he gets it. I'm going out for a while, and maybe while I'm gone, I'll look for my own apartment. I don't understand you people anymore, and I don't want people thinking I'm as crazy as my little sister. And before you say anything, yes, I know she's not actually crazy...but you people make me wonder sometimes," Rubella said, leaving out the front door and closing it gently behind her.

"So, they found her body?" Spencer asked. Catherine smiled, nodding gently as the detective left out behind Rubella. Her mother remained, looking up to the two spirits with a child-like grin. "Do you know what's going on, clairvoyant lady?" Spencer called.

"Not really, kid, but I think your days of infinite fun are probably gone for now, well, at least the type of infinite fun you all are into. Hey, I can finally go to a party without worrying if the guests are living or dead!" she squealed, humming a tune as she moved into the kitchen.

"I can't stay here, Cathy. Once I make sure my little brother is okay, I'm out of here," he said, squinting as a bright light filled the room. "Wait, what are you doing? Catherine? Catherine!" he called. Catherine floated up towards the light that was pouring in from the stairs, "I fulfilled what I needed. My family can do as they please, and my friend? Well, she can finally rest in peace...and so can I," Catherine said, ascending the stairs and disappearing into the bright light. Spencer called after her, staring into the light. With some hesitation, he walked towards it, and in a flash as bright as lightning, he moved on to the other side.

It was evening when the last investigator left Rosewood Academy. Fern slid from her spot and stretched before moving through the school. It felt much more empty than before, and she could sense that several souls had moved on in the previous hours. She also knew that Catherine was gone, and she almost wished the girl had remained so she'd have someone to talk to.

As Fern moved through the empty halls, she got the urge to check on her mother again. It had been more than a week since her death, and she wondered if her mother still struggled with her passing. She knew the answer was probably, 'yes, my mother still suffers greatly because of my death', but she wanted to see her home for herself. She appeared in the living room, which was completely dark despite it only being nine o'clock. Fern moved upstairs, where she found her mother lying in bed watching television. A few bottles of wine lay empty beside the bed, and another large glass was sitting on the side table. Her mother reached for it, her arm missing several times before she finally gripped the glass. Part of the wine spilled as she attempted to take a sip, but she was almost too drunk to hold up the glass.

"Oh, Mom," Fern sighed, moving through the home. Everything was the exact same as she moved through each room. An empty milk carton sat on the kitchen counter, a buzzing coming from the inside where various fruit flies and gotten inside. Fern sighed, suppressing the temptation to do her mother's chores. She knew she shouldn't interfere with her life, and after a moment, she decided to check on her father. She appeared at their house after picturing him, and she discovered it wasn't far from the Crosswire mansion. She sighed as she stepped inside, navigating several rooms before discovering the den where they were watching television. Fern's father still looked empty inside, but her step-mother was glowing as she watched the sitcom on television and rubbed her swollen belly. Nearby, baby Charlie lay asleep on the floor. Fern exhaled as she moved outside the home.

Up the street, Muffy's house swarmed with cars. Fern approached, quickly realizing she was the only ghost in attendance. She slipped past a bogus relic before finding herself in semi-familiar rooms filled with Elwood City's most elite citizens. Fern quickly found Muffy in her bedroom with several girls from Rosewood Academy. They had a notebook out between them with small tally marks inside.

"Okay, we can take one more off the list," Muffy grinned, scratching through Sue Ellen's name. "This little bitch had the nerve to send me an 'it's over' email earlier. She's done with our stupid little game, and she insisted that we all get crabs and rot in hell," Muffy cackled. "If I recall, the only one getting any STDs was her!" Muffy laughed. The other girls joined in as Fern stood nearby, her arms crossed as she spied on the devious girls. "She's apparently back at Elwood City High where she belongs, girls, at least according to her father. I wonder if she knows what he does on his nights away from home," Muffy winked. Fern wondered what she even meant by that as the girls moved on to some other horrible subject. Fern wandered the mansion looking for any evidence of the Armstrongs, but she could tell by the cheap booze that the family wouldn't be in attendance.

So, Fern focused on Mr. Armstrong, and she found herself appearing outside a local hotel room. She peered inside the nearest window and saw a pair of shadows moving strangely under a blanket. Fern shuddered and took a seat nearby. A few hours later, a woman stepped out of the room. Fern gasped, realizing it was Mrs. Frensky. A few moments later, Mr. Armstrong appeared, heading in the opposite direction to get to his car. Fern felt herself smile at what she'd learned, and she realized that was exactly why Mr. Armstrong was so eager to sign Mrs. Frensky's petition. Fern appeared at the clock tower, eager to tell Savanna, but she exhaled heavily and sank to the floor instead.

"I'm the last one left," Fern whispered. "I can't believe it, but I don't have anyone yet again," she sighed, pushing away a magazine. She sat in front of the clock face, staring up at the sky and watching the stars move across the sky. When the last star faded from the sky, she stood and moved into the halls of Rosewood Academy, her enthusiasm from the day before fading quickly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Fern returned to her clock tower around noon to find a man sitting beside the mechanisms. He nodded to Fern and she gave him a perplexed look. He smiled and closed his toolbox before looking out the clock face, "Yeah, I can see you, Fern. You're the last one here, if I counted right, but that's okay. I know you're confused about why this happened, and well, I can explain things if you want me to."

"Who exactly are you?" Fern questioned. He smiled again and moved to the clock face, "I'm a maintenance man, just like my father before me. I've had The Sight for years, and I remember Savanna and the others. They weren't necessarily evil, but they were certainly okay with the evil that went on in this school. They've moved on now because the moral compass has flipped. Now, more people are like you. They're sick of the corruption and sick of people letting said corruption happen. You were a breath of fresh air for this academy, Fern, and now that you have the upper hand, I hope you take advantage of it. You won't be alone for long. Death is always lurking in the shadows waiting for its next victim, and when Death takes a victim, lost souls just show up from time to time. You'll take on Savanna's task of helping them along now. You already know what to do, so, just do what you do best. And good luck with your endeavors, but I'm sure you'll be fine," he smiled, patting her shoulder and descending the stairs.

Fern stood in the clock tower contemplating whether or not the man was alive for several minutes. When she finally returned to the halls, she found Muffy sitting with her obnoxious friends in the library, all of them gossiping about the party, what happened there, and what was going to happen at another party happening that night at the Armstrong house. When the librarian shushed them, they moved to instant messaging online. Fern noticed they were writing about adultery and what various members of the community might be doing with their mistresses over the weekend. At the top of their gossip-related hit list was Mr. Armstrong and Mrs. Frensky.

Fern touched a nearby computer and felt it hum to life, but she intentionally left the screen blank, channeling the images directly into her vision instead. She found their conversation and used a settings feature to make it public, placing the link on the page of the local newspaper and a few other locations. She then turned off the machine and sat back to watch the girls finish her job of exposing the local scandals. When the bell rang, the girls ventured into Rosewood Academy's halls, and Fern followed them. Almost immediately, Muffy received a call from her mother demanding an explanation for her post.

"Mother, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Muffy pleaded as the phones of the other girls began to ring. Dr. Richardson approached, escorting the frustrated girls into his office as the calls continued. Whatever was going on, he deemed the sitation important for him to know, and Fern watched from atop a filing cabinet as the girls cried, unsure of what was going on. Outside, the school's administrators were learning of the post, and a secretery that recognized the names stepped into Dr. Richardson's office. Fern smirked as the two stepped outside and the girls continued trying to work out among themselves what was going on.

But when Dr. Richardson stepped into the room and pulled up their conversation using the newspaper's social media page, the girls sat pale-faced and stared out the window. Dr. Richardson sighed, "See, that's exactly what I expected from all of you. I don't quite know how this got here, and since none of you know either, we're going to ignore that part. What I want to know is if any of this is actually true," Dr. Richardson said. None of them said a word, and most of them attempted to hold their breath to avoid his piercing gaze. "Well, truth or no truth, your gossiping has gotten out of hand. All of you are always starting some sort of rumor, and I won't have it. Detention, all of you, and if I see you participating in conversations like this again during school hours, I'll up the punishment. Go, and be ready for me to approach you again. Oh, and cell phones," he said, extending his hand. The girls loudly protested, so Fern stepped in again, touching each device and absorbing their battery power. Dr. Richardson grinned as the girls left with their dead phones.

"What is happening to us?" Muffy hissed as they approached their next class. Before they could get through the door, Mr. Armstrong appeared and rushed to the administrator's office. Fern watched as he blessed out the secretery to provide him the locations of the girls involved, but she remained silent, passing off the responsibility to Dr. Richardson, who sighed heavily as he gestured the man into his office.

For over an hour, the scanal spread through the school. Fern wondered if she'd actually done the right thing by exposing such heinous secrets, but she knew the truth needed to come out. She sat in the library, listening to conversations going on throughout the school, and many were feeling relieved that so many scandals were being handled at once, and many hoped Muffy and her friends would be expelled for gossiping online during school hours. Fern didn't necessarily want that, or at least, that wasn't the intention of her actions. She wanted Muffy to learn from her past ills, not be forced from her school.

To get away from the problems, Fern walked outside the building. As she walked around the school grounds, she felt someone watching her. She looked up to see a soaked girl standing at the woodline sobbing. Fern approached her and noticed she was nearly completely invisible from her weakness. The girl was confused, and Fern immediately realized that she had no idea she had died.

"Please, I have to find my friend. We-We were swimming in the pool, and-and," she stammered, shivering intensely. Fern guided her into the school, and the girl eagerly took a seat in the cozy clock tower. She eyed Fern with hurt eyes, "So many people couldn't see me before or something. I walked through the woods calling for help, but-but, the people on the field didn't notice me. It was like they could see straight through me."

"They can," Fern whispered, taking the girl's hand. She sobbed as she looked at her hands and arms. "I promise you, it'll be alright. Do you know who you are?" Fern questioned. The girl nodded as she cried. "Well, tell me about yourself. What's your name?"

"I'm Emily, and I...I live over there I think?" she pointed, trying to look out the clock face to get her bearings. Despite being so high up, the trees kept any nearby houses hidden from view during the day, and the girl was unable to know exactly where she was. Fern asked what she was doing earlier. The girl shook her head, "I'm not really sure. I was swimming with my friend, and she dove into the water before me. When I dove in, I couldn't find her. I was outside somehow, and...do you think she's okay?"

"I don't know. Who exactly is your friend? We can try to find her later if you remember," Fern suggested. The girl nodded, shivering as water continued to pour from her body somehow, "Her name's DW Read. We were swimming at my house because it's a heated pool, but I don't remember much. I-" the girl paused. Her eyes glazed over and her form flickered. A moment later, she screamed and broke into hideous sobs. Fern held her, realizing the girl had just seen her own death. She wasn't sure how the girl died, but she remembered seeing her before when she was younger and spent time with Arthur. She hated to see someone so young be killed, but she knew it was likely a hideous accident. She decided to ignore the fact that the girl had a vision of her death. Instead, she asked her about DW and where they might be able to find her.

Emily nodded, composing herself, "I...I think she might be at home by now. We should go there and see," Emily suggested. Fern nodded, extending her hand, "Take my hand and close your eyes," Fern whispered. Emily obeyed, and a moment later, Fern had them appear at Arthur's house. The home hadn't changed much, and as they moved inside, Pal barked at the two of them before stopping to lick at the wet footprints Emily was tracking into the house.

"Hello? Hi, this is Jane again. We got cut off a second ago," Jane chuckled. Arthur sat on the couch nearby, his expression screaming boredom as he stared into the television. Jane's laughter faded beside him and she clicked off the television. Despite being so bored with the show, Arthur looked up with anger. When he saw his mother's hurt face, however, he knew the situation was dire. "Yes, I understand. And DW is fine?" Jane asked. A long pause followed where Jane sat numbly staring at the floor. "Okay, I understand. I'll be there in a few minutes," she whispered, hanging up the phone. "Arthur, I have some bad news. DW's friend, Emily just died in their family's pool. I need to pick up DW, so you need to stay here and watch Kate."

"Emily's dead? But how? She knows how to swim, doesn't she?" Arthur questioned. Fern held Emily as she stared at the boy. Jane sighed heavily, "Yes, she knows how to swim. She was using the diving board, and when she jumped, she hit it. I don't know what happened and her nanny can barely speak English because she's so distraught. Just do this for me and we'll find out everything later," Jane sighed, gathering her keys and looking over the floor. Pal was still licking at Emily's dripping footprints. Jane growled and snatched a mop out of the closet, "And clean up this water before someone gets hurt. Find out if it's coming from somewhere too!" Jane called, rushing out the door.

Fern touched Emily's shoulder and pictured DW in her mind. They appeared in the living room of Emily's mansion, and the girl broke into happy sobs as she looked at her friend. DW looked very sad and distraught, but otherwise, she looked fine. A man in a tuxedo sat beside her as a paramedic questioned her. DW could barely speak, but it was very clear that this was indeed a pool accident gone horribly wrong.

"DW's okay but I'm not. Will she be okay without me?" Emily questioned. Fern nodded solemnly. "She won't forget me, will she? Will she forget the words I taught her or...? Wait, I forgot to give her something I got from France! I was going to give it to her when we got finished swimming!" Emily cried, rushing up the stairs. Fern followed and saw a small jewelry box sitting on the bed. "Could you get this to her?" Emily pleaded. Fern promised her that she could as a bright light formed in the hallway. "Thanks whoever you are," Emily smiled, skipping into the hallway.

Fern touched the jewelry box. She could easily pick it up, so she tucked it into her hands and reappeared in the Read house. She placed the jewelry box on the custom bed with DW's name painted onto the headboard, then she stepped downstairs. Pal barked at Fern again and Arthur looked, but he couldn't see her.

Fern looked Arthur over. He hadn't changed much over the years, though he had gotten quite tall. Fern wondered how he compared to the other boys in their grade when the doorbell rang. Buster and Alex, both of them slightly shorter than Arthur, were at the door. Arthur solemnly allowed them inside before collapsing onto the couch. Pal focused on the boys, taking a seat in Buster's lap once he was seated. Fern grinned; Buster was eating a strange new flavor of chip, and Pal was eagerly begging for at least a crumb from the foul-smelling bag.

"What's with the long face?" Alex questioned. Arthur sighed and rubbed his temples, "DW's best friend died this afternoon. They were playing in Emily's pool and...I honestly don't even know what happened. I'm sure DW is going to be a screaming wreck when they get home, so you guys might want to leave," Arthur suggested. Buster scoffed and passed Arthur the remote. "Yeah, we might be able to get through Bionic Bunny Brigade without interuptions. Did either of you catch last week's episode?"

Fern was immediately bored by the conversation, so she moved to another part of the house. Inside the kitchen, Kate sat at the breakfast table working on a school project. Fern wondered how old the girl was when she looked up from the table. Kate squinted her eyes before putting on a pair of glasses beside her. She blinked at Fern, who smiled nervously, "Can you see me?" she asked.

Kate gave her a confused look, "Of course I can see you. Who are you exactly? I've never seen you before," Kate said. Fern thought for a moment, trying to find the perfect answer to give the young girl, "I'm a friend of Arthur's. I was in your sister's friend's neighborhood and there was a little accident. Before DW's friend...um, left us, she gave me something to give DW. I put it on her bed, and I'd really appreciate if you make sure she gets it."

"If you're Arthur's friend, why can't you just tell him?" Kate asked. Fern smiled, amused that out of her entire speech, Kate thought that was the most troubling part. "Well, why can't you?" Kate demanded. Fern sighed, "Well, I thought telling a lady would be more appropriate. You have a best friend, don't you?" she asked. Kate nodded. "Well, you understand what it means for a girl to get a gift from her best friend."

"Mei-Lin gave me a stuffed panda bear from China. It's in my room if you want to see it," Kate cheered, standing and rushing out of the kitchen before Fern could protest. She nearly ran into Buster, who chuckled and shook his head. Fern quickly realized he thought she was talking to herself, but when he looked up, he could see her. He dropped his chips and backed against the counter.

Fern sighed, "I'm not here to hurt anyone. Emily gave me something to give DW is all," she explained. Buster took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the sink. "What's wrong, Buster? You act surprised to see me, but you should know I'm a little troubled. All of you are the reason."

"Yeah, well, I thought you'd be trying to hurt us or something. I believe in ghosts and spirits and werewolves and aliens, but this? This is the first time I've actually seen one in person, and it's a little freaky-deaky, if you catch my drift," he chuckled nervously, looking up as Kate entered the room with her stuffed panda. Realizing she was interupting, she set the panda in a chair. Buster cleared his throat, "I, um, would like to talk to you. Can we like go for a walk or something? Better yet, somewhere private later on. I'm missing Bionic Bunny Brigade."

"I'll hang around," Fern nodded. "The others can't...you know," Fern whispered, nodding towards Kate. He nodded, peeking into the living room. The others hadn't noticed he was away. Buster picked up his chips and grabbed a soda from the refrigerator. He cleared his throat before heading back into the living room and sinking onto the couch. Fern half expected the guys to ask what was wrong with him, but neither said a word as they stared at their cartoon. They did look up when Jane entered the house struggling to carry a sobbing DW. Fern sighed heavily, her heart hurting for the young girl, and she sat on the piano bench in the den to wait for the show to end. Instead, Alex and Buster decided to leave early, and Fern followed Buster to the Elwood City Public Library, which had been remodeled since Fern last entered the place. He led her to a quiet room upstairs, where he sat with a laptop where you couldn't see it through the glass in the door. Fern sat across from him, wondering what exactly he wanted to talk about.

"I didn't know I'd get a chance like this," Buster chuckled. "I mean, I knew it happened, and I've heard rumors that Elwood City is really haunted, but to see you today. It scared me at first, but if you don't want to hurt anyone or something, like, why are you here? I thought you hated us for turning on you and that's why you left."

"I was pressued to leave by the journalism teachers at Grebe Middle and Rosewood Academy. They're the only reason I didn't recant everything either," Fern sighed. "Why are you willing to hear me out? I thought everyone was still pretty angry with me, especially Francine and Arthur."

"I know why you wrote that article. Your real article was stored away, and my mom recently found the true draft. I always knew whatever you meant to write came from what accidentally got published, and I was happy to see I was right. But, Mom told me they can't publish your articles because too many people signed that petition. She was heartbroken when she found out. She was hoping to find something to redeem you in our eyes, and she did, but now she won't get the chance to show anyone," Buster sighed. "I guess I hoped to see you so I could apologize and get your side of the story. I've taken to journalism some because of my mom. I mean, I still prefer the comics section to anything else," he grinned, "but...I really wish things could've ended better for you, and I wish more people were actually sad to see you go."

"Too many people saw my article as an attack on their character to care whether I lived or died," Fern said, exhaling slowly. "Francine and her mother started that petition, but...your mother might have the chance to post her article thanks to what happened earlier. Muffy and her friends were using an instant messaging feature online to talk about local residents, including Francine's mother and Sue Ellen's father, and I...sort of made the conversation go public," Fern grinned.

Buster laughed, "But I thought technology never worked for you! Oh, that's priceless! I'll have to see what my mom says about everything, but...why exactly did you end up staying behind? I mean, you don't seem troubled or tormented or anything like I expected you to be if I ever saw you. Wow, that came out a little weird. Um...I kind of hoped I would see you, but now that you're here, I'm just weirded out a little."

"I was upset when I first passed, obviously, but I met some good people. They helped show me what I needed to do with myself, with my afterlife. Now that I have my place, I'm content. I don't regret letting my life go anymore, but I don't recommend it," Fern added. Buster nodded. "I found my place is trying to end the scandals of Rosewood Academy, and maybe, if I stick around like my friends once did, I can help people. That's why I made that conversation public, and...in the past, that's why I wrote that article."

"Did you know that George is upset about your passing?" Buster questioned. Fern nodded, "But I haven't been to see him yet. A friend of mine told me about him, told me that he knew the truth about the article, but I haven't worked up the nerve to go back to Elwood City High yet to see everyone. If you see him and feel like sharing what we've said with someone, tell him that he's part of the reason I stopped sulking around like a vengeful spirit. I found out he cared, and that Sue Ellen cared too, and I realized that I needed to do more than sit around feeling angry about everything."

"I'll tell him," Buster nodded, "and, I'll tell Sue Ellen as well. She was at school today for whatever reason, and I thought she looked pretty sad. I like trying to make people happy again, so even if I sound like a nut, I'll pass the word on. Um...will you stick around Elwood City?" he asked. Fern nodded, "And...Prunella is a clairvoyant, so if you want to talk about this sort of thing, she'd love to know not everyone sees her as crazy. You must be a little clairvoyant too since you can see me," Fern smiled. Buster shook his head, "I just believe," he said, nodding to Fern as she left the room. Once outside, she went to the local newspaper office. Phones were sitting off their housing as journalists rushed around the room. Fern smiled and sat on an upper balcony to watch the scandals unfold.

Fern was sitting in Bitzi's office when Buster arrived. It was eight o'clock, and Fern wondered if and when the single mother would return home. As Buster waited for his mother to gather her things, Fern realized he either couldn't see her or chose not to look at her. Either way, Fern decided it was time to leave the newspaper office and return to Rosewood Academy. She appeared in the clock tower and looked out over the grounds. It was going to be a cold night and dew already shimmered on the grass below. Fern sighed as she sat down, thinking of the events at the newspaper office as she touched the glass of the clock face.

In order to ease the damage of the scandalous post, the newspaper office removed Fern's comment from their page, but because she posted it in other places as well, the entire city was well-informed about the contents of the posts. Muffy's parents, as well as the rich parents of Muffy's friends, all hired lawyers to delegate the girls' apologies to their fellow citizens, but the damage was done. The Frensky household was surrounded by local junior reporters looking for a story, and several brought in reports that Laverne had been kicked out by Oliver with Francine at her side. Across town at the Armstrong estate, a similar scene unfolded, but Sue Ellen remained in her home with her very hurt mother, the two of them hiding behind closed curtains as junior reporters lined the fence at the edge of the road.

Fern wished that she didn't have to do such an awful thing, but as she contemplated the day's events, she knew the real tragedy, the death of young Emily, was being overlooked by many of the city's elite. Though Emily was obviously one of them, Fern knew many were too busy ensuring their own dirty laundry wasn't a part of the post to send condolences to her family. This upset Fern, but it also reminded her of the gift Emily asked her to pass along to DW. Fern appeared in the Read house once more, and she found the rooms dark. In the master bedroom, DW lay squooshed between her parents. Her father looked irritated by the disturbance, but Jane lay awake reading through an expense report as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Fern took a close look at DW, and she quickly realized the girl was wearing the bracelet Emily had given her. Each charm represented a different aspect of Francine, including a miniturized version of the Eiffel Tower. Fern smiled as the young girl's face twitched. It would take her a lifetime to get over the pain, Fern thought, which reminded her of Sue Ellen. Despite the relics, Fern decided she needed to see her again, and she appeared on the lawn of the home.

Just as she'd heard at the newspaper office, Mr. Armstrong's car was gone from garage, and Mrs. Armstrong sat alone in the kitchen sipping a glass of wine. Fern managed to get through the front door safely, and she navigated her way through the many upstairs rooms in an attempt to locate Sue Ellen. When she found her room, she discovered her friend awake and sitting in front of her computer, smiling at the backlash area adulterers were facing. Fern was surprised until Sue Ellen pulled up a private online diary. She had many entries listed on a column of links to the side, many of them titled "Father Does It Again" and related titles. Fern never realized Sue Ellen disliked her father, but as Sue Ellen wrote of the satisfaction of seeing her mother learn the truth and kick her father out of the house, Fern realized Sue Ellen had even hid her most true feelings from her.

Sue Ellen sighed, pulling Fern from her thoughts. Sue Ellen turned to face her bed and immediately jumped back with fear. Fern cursed under her breath as Sue Ellen turned pale and grabbed a softball bat from beside her desk. Fern sighed and moved to the window. Sue Ellen sighed as well and dropped the bat.

"You're a real ghost now, huh?" Sue Ellen asked. Fern nodded solemnly. "I saw an anonymous blog about the paranormal activity of Elwood City recently, but I never wanted to believe in that stuff. Mom said this amulet was supposed to keep you away, but that particular group of African natives did always enjoy a good trick," Sue Ellen sighed, moving to her bed. "What are you doing here anyway? You didn't come here to find something else of mine to expose to the world."

"How did you know it was me?" Fern questioned. Sue Ellen shrugged, "A lot has happened, and...when my dad told me things were up to me, I wondered what cosmic forces were at work. Everything always had to be his way and no other way, unless it was the way of his superiors, then I still had no choice. That's why I went to Rosewood Academy in the first place, and now, I'm happily back at Elwood City High where I belong. You...You belong there too," Sue Ellen sighed heavily. "I miss you a lot, Fern. I'm feeling like this is a dream or something, which must be why I'm so composed right now. I felt like...if I ever saw you again, I'd wither into a blubbering mass of tears."

"You're stronger than that," Fern whispered. Sue Ellen shook her head. "You're just trying to tell yourself that for whatever reason, but I saw you. You stood up to your father, and then I finished off the argument once and for all. I didn't expect him to be able to see me, but I guess if he has one of those amulets, it must've helped him see me too. Either way, you're getting what you wanted, and I'm happy for you. That's why I'm here, to make sure you're happy. Now that I know how you feel about your father, I feel a little better about making that conversation public."

"Well, my parents have contemplated divorce for years now, but neither wanted to get rid of the other one's benefits," Sue Ellen sighed. "I always wanted to tell someone how things were around here, but I didn't think you'd be interested, especially after your parents divorced. And when Muffy started to get to me, I thought it was just as well not to tell you because I was...trying to end things with you," she murmured. "I blame myself for sending you over the edge. I shouldn't have been so mean to you, Fern. You deserve so much better than what I did, and...I had to reject you, but looking back, you could've been my first real relationship."

"Why didn't you tell me about the sex games, about your double life? I knew something was bothering you once we started high school, but I could never pinpoint it. Now I know everything and I just...I felt betrayed until you turned from Muffy. I felt like you were someone completely different, but oddly enough, I still cared for you," Fern smiled. "You were my best friend, and I wish we still could be best friends. I ruined that chance, but I'm happier now. I just want some closure for the two of us."

"I didn't tell anyone about what we were doing because Muffy threatened me, because I hated it...," Sue Ellen trailed off, trying to think of what else to say as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I especially didn't want to tell you I'd turned from my beliefs, but if you saw that earlier, you heard that my entire existance at Rosewood Academy was a huge compromise of my entire ideology," Sue Ellen sighed. "I wanted to tell you I knew an inside source so you could publish a story about it one day, but when Margie came along and you started losing ground, I knew I couldn't say anything about anything. And yes, I knew about Margie, but only because I knew what was going on in that office. I almost walked in on them once, and I'm glad they got busted somehow."

"That was me," Fern smiled. Sue Ellen grinned, a look of confusion mixing with her amused expression as well. "I met another spirit when I passed, and she gave me the confidence to take matters into my own hands. It was slow-going, and I didn't want to admit I had demons in my past, that I'd um...that I had feelings for a girl. But Savanna was understanding, and in the end, I became her. She crossed over the other day, as have the other spirits, but...I'm in charge now, and I want to keep it that way. Rosewood Academy has so much dirty laundry that needs to be aired out, and I started with Dr. Hopkins because he deserved to fall more than anyone else in that entire school."

Sue Ellen yawned and nodded slowly. Fern turned back towards the window. A light rain was falling outside, and Sue Ellen called after her as Fern tried to leave. Sue Ellen bit her lip, "I'm going to try to change things for the better too. I'm going to pressure Mrs. Baxter to publish your writings, and if I have to start an opposing petition, I will. But seeing that you got Muffy to tell the world about Laverne and my dad, I think we'll be fine, and...I'll tell them," Sue Ellen smiled. "I'll tell them you never meant to hurt anyone. You just wanted the hatred of others to stop."

"Thanks for still being my friend after all of this," Fern whispered, wiping a tear from her eye. Sue Ellen began to cry again, and the two girls embraced. Fern felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders as the light rain outside became a heavy downpour. Sue Ellen asked if she'd be okay in the rain, then laughed at the thought of a ghost catching a cold. Fern laughed as well before disappearing into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Fern walked into the teacher's lounge the next morning and picked up a copy of the local paper. They were forced to print an early edition because of the post, and numerous articles within the newspaper outlined the chain of events, starting with the initial post and ending with a report on the location of Mr. Armstrong, who was spotted leaving the country just after midnight. Fern smiled slightly and moved into Dr. Richardson's office, where the secretary was going through his agenda for the day.

"At nine-thirty, you're meeting with the Board of Directors to discuss the situation involving Margie Barber and Dr. Hopkins. His lawyer will be in attendence, but Mitchell will be representing Margie and trying to defnd the situation. She's still sticking to her story that the diary entry they found with the...act described inside," the secretary blushed, "wasn't written by her, but according to some technology detective at the station, it was edited while she was actually in the interview. I don't know how that particular entry will hold up, but there is plenty of evidence pointing to her as the seductor. I foresee this meeting taking up most of your day, then you have paperwork to do for the football team's upcoming travel day," the secretary listed. Dr. Richardson sighed and dismissed her before picked up the morning paper. He scoffed and tossed the entire thing in the trash, making Fern smile as she walked around the grounds.

As students poured into the school, Fern noticed an older women in a flowing dress walking through the halls, and occasionally, through the students themselves. She waved to Fern, who stopped and waited for her in a small hallway leading to a side entrance to the library.

"I was hoping to find you here, young dear," the woman smiled. "My name is Madam Montgomery, and my husband was headmaster here approximately one hundred years ago. The work you've done to clear this place of partying prankster spirits has gotten around, and I hear my daughter might return here soon. The others ran her off, as they did me, but I see you're the type to accept any and all sorts of companionship," the woman winked. Fern gave her a confused look, and the woman chuckled, "I've been watching this school longer than Savanna whoever could even imagine. It's about time we get more open about that sort of thing, but no matter. I've come to ask you something about your future scandal-bashing."

"I understand that my tactics might've been a little brisk," Fern began, but the woman raised her hand, "No, no, I don't mind you being a little devious if it helps people, and my, my, my, you _certainly_ helped people, didn't you?" she laughed, walking with Fern towards the administrative offices. "What I want to tell you is to be fearless and never doubt yourself. Besides, you're dead! The concerns of the living shouldn't bother you in the least, just as they haven't bothered me for centuries. I just stick around here to make sure this place doesn't completely crumble to the ground. That's why I'm here today, for the board meeting. You should come...another time," she smiled. "You should check on your old friends today. Rosewood Academy was created to bring people together, even those with a baseline education. If you maintain your connections with them, that bond could certanly be mended, especially once we weed out all the...bad apples!" she whispered, chuckling as Margie and her grandfather walked past the offices and into the board room.

Fern decided to follow the strange woman's older, closing her eyes and picturing Elwood City High. She arrived in the school's library, where Sue Ellen, George, and Buster were sitting at a small table with a school counsellor. Fern wondered why they were with a school official until she hid in the aisle near them: They had started a grief club to discuss their losses.

"I'm grateful that the three of you wish to come forward as one entity to speak of your grief, and that the three of you are coming together to celebrate a life you were unable to celebrate in the past because of the beliefs of others," the counsellor nodded. "I wish that we could have helped young, troubled Fern, but what's done is done, and I would like to know what the three of you wish to do to honor her death so that others do not follow a similar path."

"I want to publish her articles, all of them, in the local paper, as well as other editorials and articles involving situations like hers," Sue Ellen explained. The counsellor nodded and looked to George, "I...um...I just need help getting through this. I never got closure with her, and I just...I wish I could've talked to her after she published her article," George stammered.

"Perhaps you should write a letter," the counsellor suggested. Buster laughed, "Nah, no, you need to get the message directly to the source. She's still here. I've spoken with her, and-" Buster said, but the counsellor shook her head firmly, "No, no, that's not why we're here. And I hate to refute you, Buster, but that sort of thing isn't possible. Ghosts, just like aliens, are not real," the counsellor said firmly.

Fern grinned from the stacks and moved to a particularly thick section of books. In one swift movement, she pushed them all from the shelves, triggering the librarian to dart to their side of the room. The counsellor, who cried out when the books fell, blushed vividly as the librarian examined the mess. She then placed the books back on the shelves, her face pale from worry. The counsellor asked what could've caused such an event before she walked away, but the librarian could only shrug and get back to her job.

"She did that," Buster whispered, looking up as Prunella entered the room. Arthur entered directly after, but it was Prunella that Buster watched enter the room. "She's a clairvoyant. Fern told me so when we talked to each other. Prunella, tell her you can see and talk to the dead."

"Buster!" Prunella hissed through gritted teeth. When she saw the counsellor staring, she sighed heavily, "I know that sort of thing couldn't possibly be real. I take my medication faithfully every morning and evening to control my thoughts and keep the so-called evil thoughts from my brain," she chanted, her voice so monotonous that Fern laughed. The sound entered Prunella's ears and she blushed vividly.

"We know you're lying, Prunella," Buster smirked. "Come on, lady, let us speak our mind. That's why we wanted to start this grief club. I'm a grieving man, and I want more people to realize that their loved ones stay behind sometimes to see what they're up to. Prunella, come on, stop chanting that crap they told you and back me up here."

"Buster, come on, I thought this was a serious group," Arthur whispered. The counsellor nodded, gesturing for him to explain why he decided to show up. Arthur sighed, "My sister's best friend died, and I just...I can't wrap my head about it. I saw my mom when she got the call, and since then, I've felt so detached. But DW, she feels so horrible, and she can't figure out what happened to her friend. Then Kate told everyone DW got a gift from Emily that a friend of mine delivered, and I just...I need help getting through this."

"That's what Fern was doing at your house!" Buster cried. "Come on, lady, don't shake your head at me! Fern was at their house the day Emily died. She was talking to Kate when I went to the kitchen for a soda, and—hey, let me talk!" Buster exclaimed. The librarian shushed him as the counsellor held up her hand, "Buster, I'll have to stop you because that sort of stuff only happens in movies and on television. It does not happen in real life, and I'll ask that you respect the others and refrain from discussing that sort of thing."

"But that would make more sense than the truth," Arthur admitted. "Kate made sure DW found the box, and when she opened it, it was a charm bracelet that Emily told her about but never gave her. Mom said that Emily's mom or nanny must've delivered it, but Kate disagreed, and I was there the whole time and didn't see anyone go up there, so...maybe Buster's right, and maybe Prunella is right too."

"I think Prunella and Buster are right," Sue Ellen nodded. "I've felt Fern's presence since she passed, but the other night, I was able to see her. My mom thought this amulet was supposed to ward off spirits, but apparently it makes the spirits easier to see," Sue Ellen shrugged, taking off the amulet and showing it to the group. The counsellor sighed heavily and put her head in her hands, unsure of where to go from there. Luckily the bell rang, and because the club was only allotted time during second period, the group had to disburse. For the first time in a while, the group left together, agreeing to meet again after school just like they used to do when they were at Lakewood Elementary together.

Fern smiled to herself, moving to a balcony so she could watch the students of Elwood City High mingle. She felt as if a tension had been lifted from the school, even when her eyes fell on a very quiet Francine. Fern looked around wishing she could spot Catherine posing as "Charley the student," but she knew Catherine had moved on now. She wondered who else might show up next before moving to the Elwood City High gym to see what George was up to. Unlike the day before when Catherine was there, he was attempting to participate in the class, much to his coach's surprise. Fern smiled as she sat in the rafters, looking down to the group as they went through their exercises.

After a little while, Fern decided to drop in on the Rosewood Academy board meeting, but when she arrived, she found a mass of arguing people surrounding a sobbing Margie. Fern almost laughed at the scene as she moved to the clock tower to look over the grounds. The maintenance man was there again, a light smirk on his face. He gestured to a black-clad girl sitting in front of the clock. Fern approached her and sat beside her.

"I was wondering when you'd get back here. I was told to come see you when I got back into town. I'm Lady Montgomery's daughter," she introduced, extending her hand. Fern shook it before following her gaze to the grounds. "This place doesn't look the way it does when I last was here, but truly, Savanna and the others kept this place entertaining. Every Friday, they would pull the fire alarm or come up with some sort of prank. I found it entertaining, but Mother thought it was best if I kept away from them. So, I journeyed to France for the first time and discovered a vast estate to wander. She sent for me the other day when she first discovered they'd crossed over, but after over fifty years, I was surprised to hear she was able to find closure, and even more surprised to learn that so many others were able to move on as well. What in the world were you able to do here?" Lady Montgomery's daughter questioned.

"Savanna found closure from her murder," Fern suggested. "Otherwise, I'm not really sure why they left other than she was here. Savanna was the one in charge of everything, the one who kept everyone together for the night's parties. When I got here, everything changed, so I'm not sure how things were to know exactly how everything changed," Fern said.

The daughter nodded, sighing slightly, "Well, I'd like to come back here if Mother will allow me. When the meeting adjourns, she'll tell me yay or nay, but either way, I'd like to come back here if you're willing to share this place with me. My name is Patricia, by the way, but you can call me Pat when Mother isn't around. If Mother is around, I am always 'Lady Montgomery's daughter', no exceptions," Pat sighed heavily. "I ended my connections to that posh lifestyle years ago, decades even, but Mother has very high persuassion skills."

"You're not the only one parting ways from that lifestyle," Fern smiled, looking up as the worker departed. "Life without money isn't always as good as life with plenty, but I feel like my life was decent, at least when I was a young child," Fern muttered. Pat nodded and looked down to the school's grounds. Several board members were leaving at ridiculous speeds, one of them running to escape the school. Pat shook her head solemnly, "This place used to be better when everyone was held to the same standards, when each student was challenged to be the best they could be before they arrived, not afterward, and when everyone could be here with our without money. Those days of our past did not last long, but that just proves how greed played a role in Rosewood Academy's upbringing."

Fern nodded as Lady Montgomery burst up the stairs, wrapping her arms around her daughter and sighing heavily with relief, "Oh, darling, I thought you would just never get here. It's so good to see you, but I'm afraid the board meeting did not end as planned. Mitchell Barber had a heart attack right in the middle of the room, and little dirty Margie is a wreck!" Lady Montgomery exclaimed, swooning towards the floor. Her daughter guided her gently to the floor as Fern peered out the window. Sure enough, an ambulance was waiting at the street as paramedics rushed Mitchell Barber out of the school. Several cars were waiting to follow the ambulance as a police car arrived. An officer ran around the area, speaking to each driver, then he got into his car and drove away, leading the other cars out of the area.

"His day shall come eventually whether it is today or tomorrow," Pat whispered, fanning her mother gently. Lady Montgomery nodded as Fern looked down to the school's grounds again. She looked back and moved towards the stairs, "I think I'll go with them to find out what happens," Fern said. Neither woman replied, so Fern rushed downstairs and managed to get to the ambulance just as they finished boarding Mitchell. Fern sat in the passenger seat, using the rear view mirror to watch as two paramedics and a board member worked on the man. Fern could sense his situation was dire, and a few blocks from Elwood City General Hospital, the man's heart stopped beating, sending his spirit into the cabin of car.

"You, girl, you're a ghost!" Mitchell exclaimed, eying Fern carefully. "What the hell are you doing here anyway? Am I supposed to die or are you just a spectator?" he questioned. Fern shrugged, "I guess I'm just a spectator. I've followed the situation with your granddaughter, and though I missed the meeting, I can only imagine whatever it was you heard within those walls. I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or happy for your misfortune. Either way, I'm just here to see what happens to you and to help you if you need it."

Mitchell scoffed, "Help me? You sound as if you're proud of the scandal within those halls. I worked hard for that school, that academy!" Mitchell exclaimed, coughing heavily. A moment later, he disappeared as his body's pulse began again. Fern returned her gaze to the road as the ambulance drove into the ambulance bay of the hospital. She got out and followed behind the men as they rushed Mitchell inside. Mere seconds later, his heart stopped again, and Fern crossed her arms in defiance as the man began to yell at her, "You have no respect for my academy! None of those monsters do! I was doing what's best for my granddaughter, and now they're acting as if she's some sort of slut!"

"Are you aware of the allegations against your granddaughter?" Fern questioned. Mitchell shrugged, "Well, no, not really. She just wanted me to help her get into the school, so I introduced her to Dr. Hopkins. He's always enjoyed helping the young minds of the community, and since Margie's return...well, she has been far more emotional, according to her parents. I thought she was just a normal teenager, but now they're saying she secuded him. And others are saying he's been doing that for years, and I agree with them because they feel Dr. Hopkins targeted my granddaughter, but I don't know what to believe!" he cried. "You're watching for a reason, dear. Please, help me work through this!" he pleaded.

"Come on, we're losing him!" a nurse called. Fern looked to the man's spirit as he pleaded with Fern for help. She sighed softly, "I can't help you work through this. I barely know the truth, just as no one else in that room knows the truth. Whether she seduced him or not, relations occurred, and I did witness them. Others have as well, but everyone turned a blind eye to the madness. Why should people turn a blind eye to such misfortune? A young girl's innocence was taken, and whether she was truly innocent or not, the law will never care. Work through the situation however you wish, but if you don't go back to your body, you'll die before you get the chance," Fern pleaded. The man turned around and saw his body laying on the table, a man over him doing chest compressions while several others worked around him.

"You're right, whoever you are. You're right that it doesn't matter. I'll support my granddaughter, and I'll fight the Angel of Death. Thank you," Mitchell cried, stepping over to his body and fading back inside. Fern held her breath until the nurses clarified Mitchell Barber did indeed have a pulse. Fern then waited nearby until he was sent to a room. When he was comfortable inside and his family was allowed to visit, Fern was satisfied with his condition. She then left the hospital for Rosewood Academy, where she found Lady Montgomery and a few others playing bridge in the school cafeteria. Pat was watching nearby, her arms crossed while a cigarette smolded in her fingers.

"I knew this would happen," Pat muttered, finally taking a puff of her cigarette. "I was worried they would make this place boring again, and here it is. They want Rosewood Academy to be the playground they remember from their era, but this is a place for education, not poshness!" Pat sighed, exhaling a ghostly plume of smoke. Fern looked them over and felt herself agreeing with Pat. These people were just as bad, if not worse, than Savanna's gang of partying poltergeists. Fern approached the table as the women laughed at some ancient joke Fern didn't bother trying to understand.

"You all need to leave if that's what you plan to do here," Fern said firmly. Lady Montgomery discarded a card and laughed at Fern's measely attempt to get them to leave. Fern glared at them, "The entire problem with this school is judgment. You judged the ghosts of before, the ghosts who supposedly caused you to leave this place with their horrid pranks, but I see what happened. You wanted to continue your lifestyle, and they got in the way, so you left, willingly, but blamed them for your so-called misfortune. This place was always as horrible as it is now. You need to leave and let a new era come into power. Go, all of you. Go!" Fern shrieked, sending a shockwave through the room. The cards dissolved, as did the classic drinks and the cigarettes with their long filters. Fern watched as their expressions changed from defiant to dumbfounded. She smirked as the women gathered their skirts and left the room, all except one: Lady Montgomery's daughter.

"I'll help them find a new place to work on their bridge game," she said, nodding to Fern cordially. "Thank you for your help, and I'll return when they're settled. I've been meaning to catch up on my reading, and I think with the partiers gone, I should be able to read peacefully in the library again. You take me as a reader, by the way. You should introduce me to this new age literature, gradually of course," Pat smiled. Fern agreed, watching the woman as she followed the others out.

With Rosewood Academy quiet again, Fern decided that curling up with a good book would be the perfect way to spend her afternoon. She moved to a section containing mystery novels and plucked a book off the shelf. She took it to the clock tower, settling next to the glass clock face to delve into the fantastic streets of Sherlock Holmes.

Patricia entered the clock tower carrying several old books in her arms. She looked at Savanna's magazines with contempt as she sat on a nearby bench. She sighed heavily and looked Fern over. It was night now, and the glow from the moon made them both look even spookier than normal. Pat sighed again as she opened the top book.

"I always missed reading, but then again, Mother thought literacy wasn't for women like me, women who could use their power, not their education, to get everything they wanted," Pat scoffed, flipping through the pages. "When I was in France, I attempted to learn the language, but Mother's continuous harping was in my ear, always reminding me that no lady should know more than her man. Too bad I became sick before I found a decent man who knew everything in the world, a man I could never surprass in knowledge nor in strength," Pat smirked. "Sorry if I'm disturbing your reading, miss. I just...sometimes one just needs to vent their feelings to the proper source, and you take me as a wonderful listener."

"My best friend when I was living claimed I wasn't a good listener once, but she confirmed I was not long before I...made my decision. You can continue talking about whatever you need to talk about," Fern said, closing her book. Patricia nodded, closing her own book and looking up to Fern, "I, um..., I'll be honest about something. You're the first suicider who hasn't cast this place under a constant spell of gloom. It's as if you were meant to die that way when you did, which is just...I've never seen anything like that.

"You see, not long after I came here to spend my days with my mother, one of Rosewood Academy's oldest board members jumped from the roof on the opposite side of the building. He left a suicide note about the thickness of all of our books combined, and he blamed everyone he'd ever met for his untimely demise and constant unhappiness. Parents almost refused to send their children here because of the constant storms, the strange happenings that befell almost everyone here, and the overall feeling of the event. Finally, he was banished from here by a local priestess, but no one ever talks about the event. You, on the other hand, will probably be talked about for years by everyone in the community. You and your story will finally put Rosewood Academy back into the minds of Elwood City's residents, and for good reasons...once all these scandals clear up, of course," Pat smiled.

"I thank you for saying so. Sadly, I feel happier now than I ever did while I was alive. I wonder if that comes across when people encounter me here," Fern pondered. Pat shrugged, "I'm not sure, but...oh, Mother wanted me to inform you that Mitchell Barber should live from his heart attack. She said a friend of hers at the hospital noticed you were there earlier. He said if it wasn't for you, Mitchell might've remained outside his body for too long and passed away. Is that true?"

"While I despise Margie and her grandfather for my own personal reasons, I wanted him to live to work through his issues. My issues couldn't be solved when I was alive. I think I would've always lived in a constant state of misery, the woe of so many great writers. But as I am, I'm happier, and I was able to work through each misfortune, past and present, to become better. He never would've done that," Fern said, shaking her head softly as she looked out to the school's grounds. "It's beautiful up here, by the way, more beautiful than I thought this place could be. Maybe if Mitchell lives long enough and no more scandals pop up, the entire school can see how beautiful this place truly is."

"You're a good soul, Fern Walters," Pat smiled, opening her book again. Fern did the same, and the two read by the light of the moon until morning, when the decided to venture downstairs to see what happened during the night. Mitchell Barber was resting peacefully, they reported, and the police managed to work through Margie's journal to determine that she did not post the most devious of her diary entries. They allowed her to delete it from the blog, which made Fern very happy, but everything else remained, and the lawyers of Dr. Hopkins vowed to use those entries against her in civil court.

Otherwise, the school was quiet, and students soon filed through the doors to begin their day once more. Pat decided to walk the grounds, leaving Fern inside the building to decide what to do for the day. She wasn't sure what she would do, but she knew that no matter what she eventually decided to do each day, numerous people supported her for not only her decisions but her actions as well.


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Fern stepped into Elwood City High's library and took her usual hiding spot in the stacks. The school counsellor's grief club had gradually expanded in members over the final months of the previous school year, and now, after a particularly dreadful summer, the club had expanded to fill the entire section of the library. Fern watched as Sue Ellen, who was voted president of the group, took her spot at a podium provided by the librarian, who watched at the edge of the shelf closest to Fern.

"Good morning those who are struggling with grief, living with grief, and striving despite grief. My name is Sue Ellen Armstrong, and almost one year ago, I lost a very dear friend of mine, Fern Walters. When I first lost Fern, I blamed myself. Her death was a suicide, and I thought our encounters in the weeks leading to her death were the cause of many of her struggles. Since her death, we have mended our relationship, and we have discovered that despite the hardships she endured during her lifetime, the future is always brighter when it is handled the right way," Sue Ellen said, looking over the group, "Some of you have lost friends as well, but other have lost loved ones, family members, or other special beings. No matter who you lost or how you feel about your loss, you are welcomed here, and we shall accept you as our friends, our brothers and sisters, in grief."

"Thank you, Sue Ellen," Buster said, standing up and taking the podium. Fern snickered as the counsellor glared from her spot at the back of the room. Buster slipped a stack of colorful index cards into his left jean pocket before pulling a stack of plain cards from his right pocket, ending the glares from the counsellor. "I am Buster Baxter, your vice-president, and I would like to begin today's discussion into the act of moving on after grief. We understand this is a more advanced topic for new members with very recent struggles, but you can learn from those who are further along in the stages of grief and take in our lessons even if you're not ready. Today, we'll start with Arthur Read, who will speak on behalf of his sister, DW, who also lost her best friend almost a year ago in a tragic pool accident. Arthur?"

"Thanks, Buster," Arthur murmured. The counsellor gestured for him to speak up, and Arthur did after clearing his throat, "Last year, my sister went to a get together with her best friend, Emily, who had just returned from a trip to Paris. They were playing in her family's pool when she hit the diving board wrong and...passed away. DW was heartbroken, and though she was able to receive a gift from her friend after her passing, it took several months for DW to move on.

"Let me clarify the meaning of 'moving on.' Moving on is not defined as forgetting who you lost or what you lost, and it is not defined as pretending who or whatever you lost never existed in the first place. Moving on, for my sister, was swimming again, even if she can't go to the deep end, and making new friends, even if your old friend was all you ever needed in the first place. Moving on for DW meant moving on with her life without forgetting the dear friend she lost," Arthur said, nodding to the group before taking his seat. Buster patted his shoulder as the counsellor took the podium again. She asked for new members to introduce themselves and who or what they lost, and Fern took the opportunity to move into an adjacent classroom, where a new ghost friend of hers, Olivia, was enraptured by a literature professor discussing a novel by William Faulkner. Fern tapped her shoulder and the girl looked up with a smile.

"I'm glad you convinced me to come here. While I enjoy Dr. Henry's discussions about literature, it's nice to know how the other side lives," she smiled, following Fern to the school's cafeteria, where another new spirit, Antwone, was watching his old friends put up banners for upcoming celebrations for the school's homecoming game. He wrapped his arms around the girls and sighed happily.

"I'm glad you two are at home here. You haven't pulled too many tricks, have you?" Fern asked with a grin. Antwone smiled wickedly, "No more than usual, Miss Fern," he said with a heavy Mississippian accent. "I was just telling myself that some of those balloons needed to migrate to the other side of the room, but now that you've said something, I'll wait until after the final lunch period to switch things around," Antwone winked.

"Oh, Antwone!" Olivia giggled. When she was done laughing, she turned to Fern, "Were you happy to see your old friends again?" she questioned. Fern nodded with a light smile. "The grief club seems to be successful, both here and at Rosewood Academy. Do you think the new headmaster would approve a joint meeting at the community center?"

"Seeing that Prunella graduated last year and she was our events coordinator, we'll have to find someone to take her place first," Fern explained. Prunella was now a student at Elwood City Community College studying communications, but before she left Elwood City High, she became a fully accepted member of the grief club. Even though the counsellor forbade any talk of spirits or ghosts being real, it was a well-known fact that Prunella was clairvoyant, and many newcomers would turn to her in case their friends or loved ones remained behind. With Prunella's help, Fern helped get messages to these spirits, and most newcomers had already crossed over by the end of their first weeks. Some spirits like Olivia and Antwone, however, needed to stay behind to work out their own problems. Both of them needed to experience a proper high school experience, and Fern was happy to help them achieve it.

"Earth to Fern," Antwone called, waving his hand in front of Fern's eyes, "How do you think this display looks?" he asked. Fern smiled as she looked to the homecoming decorations, "They look wonderful. I like your idea of spreading the balloons around too, but do it later. Olivia, are you going to the science lecture at Rosewood Academy?" Fern asked, tapping her watch. Olivia nodded, and the two were soon outside the science lab of Rosewood Academy as students transitioned to their next class.

When Olivia moved inside, Fern went to the journalism classroom. The new leader, Mrs. Parks, was a much better professor than Dr. Hopkins. Not only was she not having affairs with the students, the scholarship students she chose to be a part of the journalism staff were all deserving of their positions, and if they weren't, she offered to help them improve their work rather than rejecting them without explanation. As she began the official journalism class, Fern sat at the back of the room, listening intently, until Pat entered the room and sat beside her.

"I was hoping I'd find you here. We have a newcomer at Grebe Middle. I know you haven't been back there yet, but Mother insisted we get you there eventually," Pat winked. Since Fern asked the women to leave, they had a mediation session to discover exactly why they were similar to Savanna's initial group and why they didn't belong there either. Since then, Fern worked with them to improve spiritual conditions in the community, and Pat kept Fern well-informed about the goings on in the area, and about the past of those remaining in the area, including Fern herself.

"Well, it wasn't the school that made things hard from me," Fern smiled, standing up and moving into the hallway. "The people who went there made it difficult, and I hear they have a new journalism teacher as well," Fern said, taking a deep breath before picturing the school as she remembered it. When she opened her eyes, she and Pat were just outside the front office, where a scared pre-teen stood next to the door.

"Why can't anyone see me? Why can I go through the door but it won't open?" he pleaded. When he realized the girls could see him, he cried out and dove into Pat's arms, "Please, I want my mommy! Help me get back to my mommy!" he screamed. Pat hugged him before asking him who his mother was. He told her, and soon they were outside his home. His mother wasn't there, but his father was inside yelling at someone on the phone. According to the conversation, his mother had been involved in a car accident but their son, aka him, was unaccounted for. Fern sighed at the tense situation as a woman met their gaze.

"Andrew!" she called. The boy ran up to the woman, and after their reunion, both of them disappeared behind the house. Pat sighed heavily, "Well, I guess that was an easy one, but it's hard to see. Back to Rosewood Academy?" she asked. Fern shook her head, so Pat disappeared without her.

A few houses over, Fern recognized her own childhood home. She recognized her mother's car in the driveway and walked over. She peered into the windows and realized the house was much cleaner than when she was last there. Fern went inside and moved through the house. Everything was in its place, though some of the furniture had been rearranged. Fern moved into her old bedroom and found it clean but as she left it. When she heard a voice, she moved downstairs into her mother's office. Her business cards sat piled on the side of her desk, new business cards with a new company's logo on them.

"Hi, this is Mrs. Johnson calling to inquire about your listing. I have a few clients interested in the property," she said happily. Fern gave her mother a perplexed look until she looked down. A wedding photo was on the corner of the desk. Her mother had finally remarried, and Fern realized she couldn't be happier for her mother. She decided to check up on her father, but then she remembered that she wasn't sure where he was. He'd moved away from the city about six months after Fern's death, his second marriage just as much a failure as his last. Fern wasn't sure where he went, but she hoped he was alive or at least settling his problems with good people like Fern found when she first passed.

Fern went back to Rosewood Academy, where she met with Olivia in the cafeteria to watch the students in their antics. They joked about the school's current fads, wondering how long they would last. Pat arrived a few minutes later with a new copy of the latest issue of the school paper. Fern looked it over, happy with the contents, as a flash of the local newspaper filled her memory: Mrs. Baxter was eventually able to print Fern's articles, including the proper version of her final article for Grebe Middle. Fern smiled at the memory, then she noticed George walking to his table. George was now a student at Rosewood Academy due to his wood carving skills, and Fern was happy to see him thriving. She had regrets about how she spent her childhood, how she moved schools to avoid her problems, thus leaving him behind, but she knew she would have to accept things like that. She exhaled slowly before laughing at another one of Olivia's jokes. When Olivia was finished, she looked to Fern with a serious expression, "I was thinking the other day about Sue Ellen. Does she still write her diary entries to you?" Olivia questioned.

"She does, and they've gotten more positive now that her parents have officially divorced. Her mother doesn't live far from my mother, and her father has stayed overseas where he belongs. The Frensky's were only able to work through their problems because he wasn't around, so it was a blessing for both families. Sue Ellen hasn't been able to see me since that night despite my amulet, but we'll see each other again one day," Fern smiled. Olivia grinned as Antwone appeared with two slices of pizza, "You guys gotta hurry! The lunch ladies dropped a whole pan of food and it all got put in the incenerator!" he cheered. Fern and Olivia shrugged and decided to join him, but Pat stayed behind.

When the girls were finished devouring pizza along with Antwone, they returned to Rosewood Academy for a book club meeting. It was only for those who were a part of the afterlife, and it was a way for the people of Lady Montgomery's time to appreciate the school during times of social function. Fern chose a newer title for their current discussions to get those of Lady Montgomery's generation to understand newer literature better, something she'd been trying to do since Pat presented the idea to her. So far, they still appreciated the older titles better, but at least Fern and the younger spirits could enjoy them as well.

By the end of the day, Fern was done with her duties and free to roam the local neighborhood or read in the clock tower. Tonight she chose to walk the neighborhood and enjoy the quiet sounds of a peaceful time. After the scadalous post made by Muffy and her friends, the Crosswire's and the families of the girls were shunned by most of the citizens of the area. Most of them moved away, but the Crosswire's remained. Fern walked past their house and spied Muffy sitting in an upper room, her expression blank as a foreign teacher paced the room beside her. Fern smiled to herself. Muffy had gotten a full dose of life after her post, and though no one ever discovered how the topics were even posted, no one particularly cared about any excuses Muffy and the others tried to make. Muffy was friendless, and whatever disgusting game she used to play with the others was now very much over.

Fern kept walking, passing the empty house of Emily's family. After Emily passed away, the family moved permanently to France, but they chose not to sell their house because of the dangerous pool inside. Fern knew they tried to cover the pool not long after they left for Europe, but the contractor set to do the job was an older man living his last days. He had a heart attack in his home and passed on peacefully, but the spirits knew about it because of how much of an affect young Emily had on them, especially Fern. She almost held her breath as she passed the house for fear of disturbing the young girl, but the memory of her passing over after learning Fern could deliver her gift flashed in her mine, putting her at ease.

Fern continued walking and founder herself at the home where Savanna's remains were found. The homeowners were eager to help detecitves locate them, and when they discovered the truth, they filed a civil suit against the contractor for an undisclosed amount of money. Fern learned then why so many people were surprised that she was a kind-hearted suicide: The contractor hung himself at the Elwood City Pennitentury, and his spirit returned to the home as a vengeful being. Prunella's family handled the situation, banishing them with strange relics no one particularly believed in until the spirit was fully banished. Fern was happy the family continued to help the community, even though Rubella left home to live in downtown Metropolis.

Savanna popped into Fern's mind as she walked around the perimeter of the house, careful to avoid any relics the Deegan's left behind. She could picture her sliding coffee cups around a table to confuse the rightful owner, and she could vaguely see her pulling down the fire alarm on a Friday afternoon to alleviate the boredom that was school. Overall, however, Fern missed her for the friendship they forged in those few short days, and Fern hoped deep down that her parents really were able to find closure when the authorities finally gave her a proper burial.

As Fern continued her walk, she found herself at the field where Francine and her team were packing up their equipment for the night. Fern sighed as she saw Francine. Through everything, her hatred for Fern was still very much apparent. Even once her mother's affair went public and was confirmed as true, Francine still protested Fern's articles being republished in the newspaper. She had at least stopped talking bad about Fern and what she did in the past, but her true thoughts about her were obvious, and many of their former classmates tried to stay away from Fern now that the truth had been revealed. Only Jenna remained her friend, but Fern knew that Jenna was actually loyal to her, and she often wrote in her diary about how much she disliked Francine. Fern wondered how their relationship would transform over the coming years, but she knew that in the end, their friendship would not be as lifelong as Francine might expect.

Eventually, Fern found herself at one of Elwood City's largest cemeteries, Pleasant View. She walked through the rows, not knowing who most of the people were until she reached an area of the more recent members of the dead. Principal Haney was there and Fern sighed heavily. She wished she'd gotten to see him one final time before he passed, but his death was sudden, and many members of the community felt the same way. Mementos and bottled letters littered his tombstone, and Fern thought of reading a few of them before deciding it was best to keep walking.

In the next section, she found Emily's tombstone, which was carved from a pink quarz into the shape of a ballerina's shoe. Fern touched the tombstone carefully, letting her fingers run over the two dates. It hurt her to see dates that were so close together, but unfortunately, she knew if she looked through Pleasant View long enough, she would find dates even closer together. She exhaled slowly and looked down to her letters. She recognized one with DW's handwriting and smiled to herself. She'd recommended that method to her through Prunella, who passed along the method to Arthur during a private meeting. DW had recovered well from her loss, and Fern patted the letter affectionately before moving to another area.

Eventually, Fern found the tombstone she'd waited a long time to discover: Her own. Her mother could barely afford her services, she learned later, which was part of the reason her father's new wife decided she was better off without him. He was so guilty for losing Fern so soon that he paid for everything, from the services to the tombstone. He also continued supporting her bills after Fern's death, and that was the final breaking point that ended his second marriage. Fern felt awful for that, and she did regret her parents' feelings. Now that she knew her mother was remarried and enjoying life, she was a little more comfortable with her decision. She sighed heavily as she brushed a few leaves from the stone and pictured her favorite room of Rosewood Academy. She arrived just as Olivia finished flipping through a magazine.

"Did you enjoy your walk?" she questioned. Fern nodded solemnly before sinking onto the floor and looking out the clock face window. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself...I guess," she smiled, picking up another magazine from the floor. "I was hoping you could tell me more about Savanna. I love her magazines, and there are so many of them. How did she even get all of these?" Olivia asked. Fern shook her head, "Honestly, I didn't get to know her that well, and I never asked where she got the magazines from. I guess you just acquire things over the years.

"But I can tell you about Savanna," Fern smiled turning to face Olivia. "Savanna was outgoing and playful. She did a lot of the things I told you guys to not do if you could help it, like spying on devious people or playing pranks that might hurt someone. It's fun to move something, but not fun if you cause them pain, but I'll admit, she did know how to have a good time. She had an entire group of friends that would go to parties, and they had so much fun. I got to go to one party with them, and...well, considering I never went to any parties while I was alive, it was a treat," Fern smiled.

"Well, what else can you tell us about her? We know that part, Olivia, but what about the rest? How did she pass, for instance?" Antwone asked. Fern shook her head; she would not share that information with anyone who didn't already know for themselves. "Come on, you can tell us. What if we need to know? What if it's going to help us?" Antwone pleaded. Fern shook her head again, "I couldn't break her trust like that. One day, if you discover it for yourself or if she magically comes back and tells you, so be it. But I can tell you how she crossed over even though I missed it," Fern offered. The two young spirits nodded sternly. "She went after living a full afterlife, which is what I'm trying to do. She had as much fun as she could, then, she went on one final mission. She decided to make sure I would be okay with my life's touch decisions, and that I would be okay going on without her if I decided not to cross over. Then, she handled her own final business. She sought after one last mystery, and when it was complete—even though we didn't realize it was complete for ourselves—she left us and moved on to the other side."

"That is so beautiful," Olivia whispered. Fern nodded in agreement as she picked up her latest book, "She was a beautiful person. I would wish she was still with me, but I know she's where she wants to be, and me, I'm where I want to be. Maybe one day, I'll be like her and decide to move on, but Lady Montgomery has been here since before this school was founded, and her daughter has been here almost as long. I can stay as long as I want, but...I guess one day if I want to see my mother agaid or my father, then I might move on. You have to think about those things before you make your decision."

"Do you know if Savanna has been reunited with her family?" Antwone questioned. Fern shook her head, "We don't know what's beyond the light until we go ourselves. So, one day, I'll discover for myself if Savanna and her parents reunited, but I think they're both gone now. I think they were waiting for them to find her, but I'm not sure. Maybe we should go look it up."

The group agreed, and a few minutes later, they were inside the journalism room's computer lab. Fern turned on a computer, still very happy with her god-like control over technology, and navigated to an internet search engine. She typed in Savanna's name and found related news articles, which allowed her to discover the name of Savanna's parents. She searched for them, and she almost immediately found obituaries for both. Olivia, who was standing at first, sank into a nearby chair.

"Wow," she whispered. "I hope they're all happy together. And the news stories look so sad on the surface. Do you mind if we look it up on our own one day?" Olivia asked. Fern shrugged, turning off the computer. Antwone composed himself and moved towards the door, "Well, Olivia, I think we need to listen to Fern and let Savanna's afterlife speak for itself. Just like with Fern here, who cares how she went? I just wish I could've partied with her and that Catherine chick because they were f-u-n, fun!" Antwone exclaimed.

"Catherine was a good, fun person. I didn't get to know much about her, but she had connections to the school. Her afterlife proved that no matter what your life was like before you get here, you can still be unhappy. Savanna and I came from similar backgrounds; Catherine came from an opposite background. In the end, we had to create our own happiness, I guess," Fern shrugged, moving into the halls of Rosewood Academy. They each returned to the clock tower, and Fern watched as they settled into their normal resting areas. When Fern was satisfied with how they were settled in, she moved outside to the bleachers. She looked up to the starry sky and wondered what else was out there, laying back on the cold metal to get a better view. A shooting star crossed the sky, and Fern closed her eyes and tried to think of a suitable wish.

"I wish, I wish...," she began, her mind still blank. Finally, after a little more thinking, Fern came up with a suitable wish, "I wish, I wish, that this next year brings us far less tragedy, that the people of Elwood City realize that it's not worth it to lie and cheat on each other, and...I wish that one day, my friends and I will finally be reunited so we can have a proper friendship."

Fern opened her eyes again and pictured Sue Ellen sitting at her computer, typing out her latest diary entry. It was a password protected journal, but Fern quickly learned it was her own name, and she read each entry to follow Sue Ellen through life's journey. Because of this, she knew that one day, when they were properly reunited, they would have plenty to talk about that was in the present rather than piles of things in the past.

Fern moved inside, settling in a few feet from Olivia. She looked out the clock's face and sighed softly before falling to sleep.

~End

* * *

><p>AN: So, this is the end of my NaNo 2014 novel. I'll be honest, guys: I feel crazy for writing this whole piece in 2 days. I started writing at around 12:02 Friday night, aka as soon as it was November 1st; I went to bed around 1:15, then I started up again the next morning. It's insane how fast the words flew from my fingers. I didn't know how this piece would go, but I had some basic ideas in mind, so I just...I wrote this whole thing in 2 days.

Sadly, this means my 2014 NaNo experience has come to an end. I expected to either not finish at all or spend multiple weekends trying to work through this while abandoning school projects, so it's a relief to have it out of the way, but I feel a little bummed. I'm unhappy with this piece. It should've ended so much sooner than it did. Sorry for all the worthless fluff for those who read all 50,000 of these words:) The idea feels a little strange to me still, and I feel like the piece repeats itself a lot. But, I finished, and truly, that's really all I wanted in the end.

I'll leave this at that. Whether you like the piece or hate it, I honestly don't care (I mean, I hope you like it, but if you hate it, that's not my problem:P). I'm just happy I did something I've never done before.

[Note: This A/N will not be included in my final NaNo word count]


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